LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 

MRS.    J.    M.    DILLMAN 


y 


PAo/o,  Oakland,  1912 


SIXTY 
YEARS  8T 

CALIFORNIA 


SONG 


M.  B.  ALVERSON 

1913 


Address  all  correspondence  to 

MRS.  MARGARET  BLAKE-ALVERSON 

1429  SECOND  AVENUE 

OAKLAND,  CALIFORNIA 


Copyright  1913  by 

MARGARET  BLAKE-ALVERSON 

All  rights  reserved 


SUNSET 


Man  must  reap  and  sow  and  sing; 
Trade  and  traffic  and  sing; 
Love  and  forgive  ana  sing; 
Rear  the  young  with  tenderness  and  sing; 
Then  silently  step  forth  to  meet  whatever  is — 
and  sing. 


TO  MY  FRIENDS  EVERYWHERE  I  AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK. 

IF  AS  A  SINGER  AND  A  TEACHER  OF  SINGING  I  HAVE 
BEEN  A  FACTOR  IN  THE  BETTERMENT  OF  INDIVI- 
DUALS AND  COMMUNITIES,  THEN  HAS  MY  WORK 
BEEN  WELL  DONE  AND  I  AM  CONTENT. 


MARGARET  BLAKE-ALVERSON 


OAKLAND,  CALIFORNIA 
JANUARY,  1913 


FOREWORD 

This  book  has  been  written  for  friends  and  musical 
associates  of  more  than  half  a  century. 

The  author's  life  has  been  a  busy  one,  often  with  events 
of  public  import,  and  so  it  may  be  that  this  volume  has  value 
as  history.  Those  who  should  know  have  so  affirmed. 

It  is  hoped  that  old-time  Californians  will  find  the  book 
good  reading.  The  later  generations  of  students  and 
musicians  will  be  interested  in  the  story  of  one  who  helped 
to  prepare  the  way  for  them. 

The  narrative  tells  somewhat  of  the  Christian  ministry  of 
a  noble  father,  of  the  writer's  career  as  a  public  singer  and 
of  reminiscences  of  many  associated  musicians,  efficient 
factors  in  the  development  of  music  in  California  to  the  high 
place  it  holds  today. 

Some  mention  is  made  of  distinguished  divines  and  men 
of  note  in  the  professions  and  in  business.  The  part  taken 
by  the  author  in  political  campaigns  and  in  the  activities  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  will  appeal  to  patriots. 

Some  chapters  on  the  singing  voice  and  its  cultivation  are 
the  fruitage  of  a  wide  experience  of  many  years.  A  list  of 
pupils  for  three  decades  is  added. 

The  illustrations  have  been  at  once  a  labor  of  love  and  an 
extravagance  of  money  cost,  but  it  is  believed  that  the  reader 
will  find  in  that  feature  alone  justification  for  the  publication. 


THE    TEXT 

Antecedents  and  Childhood 1 

Our  Trip  to  California  via  the  Isthmus  and  Early  Days  There. 

First  Church  Choir  in  Stockton 13 

Stockton  in  the  Fifties.  Benecia  Seminary.  Genesis  of  Mills 

College.  Distinguished  Pioneers.  Marriage 33 

How  I  Made  the  First  Bear  Flag  in  California 43 

Boston.  Dedham  Choir,  1858.  The  Civil  War.  Famous 

Musicians.  Return  to  California.  Santa  Cruz 48 

Music  in  Santa  Cruz  in  the  Sixties.  Return  to  San  Francisco. 

How  and  Why  I  Became  a  Dressmaker.    Opera.    Music  in 

San  Francisco  in  the  Seventies 59 

Lady  of  Lyons  Given  for  the  Fire  Engine  Fund,  Santa  Cruz. 

Flag- Raising  at  Gilroy  Hot  Springs.  Visalia  Concerts 69 

On  the  Road  with  Dick  Kohler,  Mr.  Vivian,  Walter  Campbell, 

Mr.  Wand  and  Charles  Atkins 75 

Early  Music  and  Music  Houses.  Musical  Instrument  Makers. 

Old-Time  Singers  83 

As  a  Church  Choir  Singer  in  Cincinnati,  Stockton,  Benicia, 

Dedham,  Santa  Cruz,  San  Francisco,  San  Bernardino  and 

Oakland.      Rev.    Starr    King,    Howard    Dow,    Henry    Clay 

Barnabee,    Carl    Zerrahn,    J.    C.    D.    Parker,    Carlotta    and 

Adelina  Patti,  Jenny  Lind,  Joe  Maguire,  Georgiana  Leach, 

Sam  Mayer,  Harry  Gates 92 

Golden  Jubilee  of  Song  Service,  June  12,  1896 108 

Camilla  Urso's  Festival,  1873.  Madame  Anna  Bishop,  The 

Loring  Club,  Alfred  Wilkie,  Frank  Gilder,  D.  P.  Hughes, 

Ben  Clark  112 

St.  Patrick's,  St.  Mary's,  St.  Ignatius'  Cathedrals.  Episcopal 

and  Jewish  Music.  J.  H.  Dohrmann.  The  Bianchis 123 

Great  Musical  Festival  in  Aid  of  the  Mercantile  Library,  1878. 

At  Gilroy  Springs. 130 

Authors'  Carnival,  1880,  President  Hayes  and  General  Sherman 

Present  137 

Vacation  Episodes  at  Deer  Park,  July  4,  1893 145 

In  Oakland.  Sad  Accident.  With  Brush  and  Easel.  Kind 

Friends  152 

Party  at  Dr.  J.  M.  Shannon's  Home  in  1907 157 

Lee  Tung  Foo 161 

What  I  Know  of  the  Voice  and  of  Teaching 167 

Tremolo  172 

More  About  the  Voice..  179 


Political  Campaigning.     Work  as  a  Patriot  on  National  Holi- 
days  and   with   the   Grand   Army  of   the   Republic.     Flag 

Raising  at   Monterey 183 

Repertoire    and    Other    Data.      Distinguished    Musicians    and 

Singers  of  the  Last  Century 203 

Reminiscences  of  Early  California  Musicians  and  Singers 216 

Reminiscences  of  Later  California  Musicians  and  Singers 227 

With  My   Pupils 248 

A  List  of  My  Pupils 262 


THE   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mrs.  Margaret   Blake-Alverson,   1912 faces  Title 

Heirloom   Jewel    faces  page      4 

Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Kroh  and  Family,  Stockton,  1852. 

faces  page  12 

Coat-of-Arms  of  the  Blake  Family faces  page    16 

Steamer  "American  Eagle,"  Sacramento  River,  1852.  Home  of 
Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Kroh,  Stockton,  1853. .  .faces page  20 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton,  Built  in  1849,  the  First 
Protestant  Church  in  California page  25 

Pioneer  Home  of  Rev.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Kroh,  Stockton, 
1851 page  26 

Associated  Musicians  and  Singers,  1853  to  1879:  Richard 
Condy,  Mr.  Schnable,  Lizzie  Fisher,  Ellen  Lloyd,  Mary  Jane 
Lloyd,  Mrs.  Anna  Bowden  Shattuck,  Judge  H.  B.  Underhill, 
Carrie  Heinemann,  Mrs.  Taylor faces  page  28 

Business  Men  of  Stockton,  1852:  Austin  Sperry,  James  Har- 
rold,  Wm.  H.  Knight,  Geo.  Henry  Sanderson faces  page  32 

Reminiscent  of  Benicia  in  the  Early  Fifties :  Benicia  Young 
Ladies'  Seminary,  1852 ;  Benicia  Courthouse,  1853 ;  Prof. 
Jos.  Trenkle,  Prof.  Schumacher,  Prof.  Beutler,  Prof.  Paul 
Pioda  faces  page  36 

Masonic  Sheepskin,  London,  England,  1811.  Capt.  Chas. 
Blake  faces  page  38 

Major-General  Benj.  Lincoln,  of  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion   page  39 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Mrs.  Mary  Kroh-Trembly,  Pioneer 
Organist,  Stockton,  1852 page  42 

First  Graduating  Class,  Young  Ladies'  Seminary,  Benicia, 
Founded  1852:  Mary  E.  Woodbridge,  Mary  Ridell,  Mary 
Hook,  Mary  E.  Walsh ;  Principal,  Mary  Atkins ;  Teachers, 
Sallie  Knox,  Kate  Sherman;  Pupils,  Mary  O'Neill,  Agnes 
Bell  faces  page  44 

First  California  Bear  Flag,  Made  by  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  in 
Stockton,  1852  page  45 

Dedham,  Mass.,  Church  Choir,  1861,  Men  Singers faces  page    48 

Dedham,  Mass.,  Church  Choir,  1861,  Women  Singers,  .faces page    52 

Typical  Concert  Programme  of  the  Early  Sixties  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Oratorio  of  Samson page  56 

Santa  Cruz  Choir,  1867:  F.  A.  Anthony,  Belle  Peterson,  Chas. 
A.  Metti  faces  page  60 


Church  of  the  Advent,  San  Francisco,  1880.  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  San  Bernardino,  1888.  Calvary  Episcopal  Church, 
Santa  Cruz,  1864.  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church,  Oak- 
land, 1893  faces  page  64 

Associated  Musicians  and  Singers  of  the  Seventies  and  to  Date : 
Sam'l  D.  Mayer,  Mrs.  Alfred  Abbey,  "Joe"  Maguire,  Frank 
Gilder,  Walter  C.  Campbell,  Mrs.  Augusta  Lowell-Garthwaite, 
H.  S.  Stedman,  Mrs.  Mollie  Melvin-Dewing faces  page  68 

Ministers  with  Whom  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  Has  Been  Associ- 
ated :  Rev.  Dr.  J.  K.  McLean,  Rev.  P.  Y.  Cool,  Rev.  V.  M. 
Law,  Rev.  "Father"  Akerly,  Rev.  Giles  A.  Easton.  .faces  page  76 

Wm.  H.  Keith,  Baritone,  Pupil  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson,  1881. 

faces  page  80 

Music  House  of  Kohler  &  Chase,  1851  and  1910.  Andrew  Koh- 
ler,  Quincy  A.  Chase,  S.  J.  Bruce faces  page  84 

Heads  of  Pioneer  Music  Houses,  San  Francisco :  William  G. 
Badger,  Matthias  Gray,  Julius  R.  Weber,  C.  H.  McCurrie. 
faces  page  86 

Music  House  of  Sherman,  Clay  &  Co.  C.  C.  Clay,  Leander  S. 

Sherman faces  page  90 

First  Church  Choir  in  California,  Stockton,  1852:  Margaret  R. 
Kroh,  Sarah  R.  Kroh,  Emma  J.  Kroh,  Ann  L.  Kroh,  Mary 
M.  Kroh,  Sir  Geo.  Henry  Blake,  James  Holmes,  Wm.  W. 
Trembly,  Wm.  H.  Knight faces  page  92 

Henry  Clay  Barnabee,  Opera  Singer,  Associate  of  Mrs.  Blake- 
Alverson  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1861 faces  page  96 

Organists  of  the  Early  Years  in  San  Francisco :  Richard  T. 
Yarndley,  Gustav  A.  Scott,  Chas.  H.  Schultz,  Frederick 
Katzenbach  faces  page  100 

Floral  Tributes  Presented  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  on  Her  Fiftieth 
Anniversary  of  Song  Service,  June  12,  1896 faces  page  108 

Pen  Sketch  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson,  Made  by  Richard  Parting- 
ton.  Sixtieth  Birthday,  June  12,  1896 page  111 

Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  on  Her  Fiftieth  Anniversary  as  a  Public 

Singer,  Sixty  Years  of  Age,  Oakland,  June  12,  1896 

faces  page  112 

Mme.  Anna  Bishop,  Prima  Donna,  Teacher  and  Associate  of 
Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  page  115 

Associated  Musicians,  1860-1913 :  Hugo  Mansfeldt,  Sir  Henry 
Heyman,  J.  H.  Dohrmann,  Alfred  Wilkie faces  page  116 

Original  Members  Loring  Club,  San  Francisco,  1873.  French 
Horn  Quartette,  San  Francisco,  1895:  Geo.  Fletcher, 
Wm.  E.  Blake,  Nathaniel  Page,  Geo.  Story faces  page  118 

Organ  St.  Patrick's  Church,  San  Francisco,  1875.  J.  H.  Dohr- 
mann, Organist  and  Choir  Director faces  page  124 


Eminent  Divines  for  Whom  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson  has  sung : 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  M.  Anderson,  Stockton,  1852;  Rev.  Dr.  Eells, 
Rev.  Dr.  Scudder,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  L.  Stone,  the  Right  Rev. 
Ingraham  Kip,  Rev.  John  Hemphill,  Rev.  Dr.  H.  D.  Lath- 
rop  faces  page  128 

Musical  Directors,  May  Festival,  San  Francisco,  1878 :  John  P. 

Morgan,  Carl  Zerrahn,  Rudolf  Herrold faces  page  132 

Bouquet  of  Artists,May  Festival, San  Francisco,  1878.  .faces  page  134 

Authors'  Carnival,  San  Francisco,  1880:  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson 
as  Charity  Pecksniff;  H.  G.  Sturtevant  as  Pecksniff;  Alice 
Van  Winkle  as  Mercy  Pecksniff;  Dolly  Sroufe,  Italian 
Booth;  Henry  Van  Winkle,  Cervantes  Booth faces  page  140 

Mme.  Bowers,  Etelka  Gerster,  Julie  Rive-King,  Associates  and 
Friends  of  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson faces  page  144 

Deer  Park  Cabin,  Lake  Tahoe,  Dedicated  July  4,  1893.  Col. 
Richard  Parnell,  Sole  Survivor  of  the  Battle  of  Balaklava. 
faces  page  148 

Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  in  1852,  1864,  1874,  1880,  1905. .  .faces  page  156 

A  Group  of  Friends,  Distinguished  Singers  in  the  Seventies 
and  Eighties :  Mrs.  Margaret  C.  Pierce,  Mrs.  Sarah  Wat- 
kins-Little,  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson,  Mrs.  Helen  Wetherbee, 
Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell  faces  page  160 

Lee  Tung  Foo,  Pupil  in  the  Nineties faces  pages  164  and  166 

Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  and  Her  Two  Sons,  Wm.  Ellery  Blake, 
George  Lincoln  Blake faces  page  172 

Associated  Musicians  and  Singers,  1854-1900:  Frederick  Zech, 
Henry  Wetherbee,  Adolph  Klose,  S.  Arrillaga,  William  P. 
Melvin,  John  W.  Metcalf,  Wm.  M'F.  Greer faces  page  176 

Trophies  and  Tributes  Presented  Mrs.  Blake-  Alverson.  faces  page  180 

"Sam"  Booth,  Popular  Political  Poet  and  Campaign  Singer  in 
San  Francisco  in  the  Seventies page  184 

Mechanics'  Institute  Fair,  1879.  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  in  Cos- 
tume   faces  page  188 

Civil  War  Mailing  Envelopes,  1861.  Co.  K,  Seventh  California 
Volunteers,  Capt  O.  P.  Sloat,  from  San  Bernardino,  1898. 
faces  page  192 

Stephen  W.  Leach,  Musical  Director,  Buffo  Singer,  Actor  in 
San  Francisco  in  the  Seventies  and  Eighties faces  page  228 

Joran  Quartette,  1883 :  Lulu,  Pauline  and  Elsie  Joran  and  Mrs. 
Blake-Alverson  faces  page  246 


PORTRAITS  OF  PUPILS  FACES 

PAGE 

Akerly,   Mrs 240 

Allison,   George 244 

Ames,  Lucille  E 268 

Avan,  Clara 224 

Bassford,  Mrs.  Mayme 236 

Beam,  Edith 196 

Beam,  Mary  R 204 

Beretta,    Chelice 208 

Bishop,  Biddle 196 

Bisquer,   Marceline 272 

Blake,  Mrs.  William  E 212 

Bonske,  Hazel 272 

Bouton,  Cloy 208 

Bradley,  Dolores 256 

Brainard,    Birdie 196 

Brainard,   Carrie 196 

Brainard,  Mrs.  Hattie 196 

Bruce,    Florence 240 

Bruce-Schmidt,  Mrs.  Winona 244 

Bruce- Wold,  Mrs.  Ruth 240 

Bullington,  Marie 272 

Caldwell,  Mrs.  O.  B 240 

Case,  Mrs.  J.  R 220 

Caswell,  Mabel 208 

Champion,  Rose 236 

Christofferson,  Jennie 236 

Cianciarolo,  Lucia   268 

Collins,  Dr.  Addison 208 

Collins,  Mrs.  Minnie  M 208 

Cooke,  Grace 260 

Crandall,   Harry 236 

Crew,    Josie •  • . . .  212 

Crossett,  Louisa 212 

Culver,   Susan 220 

Gushing,    Lillian •  • 224 

Davies,  Alice 256 

Deetkin,   Marjorie 268 

Derby,    Hattie 224 

Dickey,  Lorena  >•  244 

Dobbins-Ames,  Mrs.  Grace  E 220 


Dowdle,  Everett   S... 212 

Bowling,   Gertrude 252 

Dowling,   Leo 260 

Drake,  Mabel  L 244 

Faull,  Rose 196 

Faull,  Sophia 196 

Ferguson,  Dolores  D 244 

Flick,  George 240 

Foo,  Lee  Tung 164  and  166 

Garcia,   Louisa 240 

Gerrior,  Maud 256 

Glass,  Mrs.  Louis 204 

Graves,   Bessie 196 

Graves,  Gussie 204 

Greer,  Yvonne 272 

Griswold,   Geneva 256 

Harrold,   Elizabeth 204 

Harrold,    Mary 204 

Hermansen,   Christine •  > 260 

Hitchcock,  Ruth  A 260 

Hunt,  Elsie  Mae 236 

Jackson,  Geo 256 

Jones,  Ethel 212 

Jones,  lima 260 

Jory,  Lilian 208 

Keith,  William  H 80 

Kiel,    Stella 252 

Kimball,  Lorena 244 

Koch,   Ada 220 

Kroh,   Blanche 256 

Kroh-Rodan,  Mrs.  Mary 252 

Krueckle,  Anna 252 

Lahre,  Freda 240 

Lanktree,  Elizabeth  •  • 236 

Lanktree-Kenney,  Mrs.  Sue 240 

La  Rue,  Grace 212 

Lessig,  Mrs.  Chas 212 

Louderback,  Mrs.  Caroline 252 

Louderback,  Jean 244 

McMahan,  Bernard 244 

McMaul,  Juliet 244 


Monnet-Swalley,  Mrs.  Emma  D 224 

Mulgrew,   Margaret 272 

Munch,  Mrs.  Emma  A 268 

Nagle-Pittman,  Mrs.  Ethel  B 240 

Newell,  Bessie  G 220 

Noonan,  Elsie 236 

Oakes,  Margaret 212 

Osborn,  Anita 260 

Peterson,  Geo.  G 220 

Peterson,   Minnie 224 

Peterson,   Pauline 224 

Pollard,   Daisy 208 

Pollard,  Etta 208 

Ramsey,   Peter 256 

Rayburn,  Mrs.  Cora 236 

Riley,  Mrs.  Edna 268 

Riley,  Ruth 268 

Sanford,  Alice  M 268 

Sanford,  Edw.  H 256 

Shaw,  Lauretta 220 

Shultz,  Sarah 272 

Sroufe,  Georgia   196 

Srouf e,  Susan 196 

Sroufe-Tiffany,  Mrs.  Dollie 196 

Starkey,   Irma 268 

Stewart-Jolly,  Mrs.  May 204 

Stewart,  Sue 208 

Teague,  Mrs.  Walter  E 272 

Thomas,  Edward 224 

Tregar,  Mme.  Annie 204 

Valentine,  Inza 252 

Valentine,   Stella 252 

Van  Winkle,  Ada 196 

Victory,  Arthur 236 

Whitney,  Mae 204 

Wood,  Dr.  J.  B 224 

Woodworth,  Leslie  E 256 

Worden,   Nettie 204 

Zimmerman,  Charlotte 224 


CHAPTER  ONE 


ANTECEDENTS    AND    CHILDHOOD 

S  FAR  back  as  I  can  remember  my  life  was 
associated  with  music.  Father  and  mother 
were  both  highly  gifted.  In  our  family  were 
three  boys  and  seven  girls,  and  each  possessed 
a  voice  of  unusual  excellence.  The  looked-for 
pleasure  every  day  was  the  morning  and  evening  worship  at 
which  the  family  gathered  in  the  sitting  room  to  hear  the 
word  of  God  explained  by  my  father,  Rev.  Henry  Kroh,  D.D. 
The  dear  old  German  hymns,  Lobe  den  Herren,  O  Meine 
Seele,  Christie,  du  Lamm  Gottes  and  others,  were  as  familiar 
to  me  as  the  English  hymns  of  today,  such  as  Nearer  my 
God  to  Thee  and  All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name.  We 
were  not  blessed  with  children's  songs,  as  are  the  children 
of  today,  but  sang  the  same  hymns  as  the  older  members 
of  the  congregation. 

Father  was  descended  from  a  royal  Holland  family. 
One  of  his  ancestors  was  the  favorite  sister  of  Admiral 
Theobold  Metzger,  Baron  of  Brada,  Major-General  of  all 
the  Netherlands,  who  died  of  paralysis  in  the  sixty-sixth 
year  of  his  life,  February  23,  1691,  in  the  house  of  the 
Duke  of  Chamburg.  He  had  gone  with  other  lords  and 
nobles  of  the  land  to  Graven  Hage  to  swear  allegiance  to 
William  III.,  King  of  Great  Britain,  who  had  just  come 
over  from  London  as  the  regent  of  the  Netherlands.  Even 
the  physician  in  ordinary,  who  was  sent  by  the  King,  was 
unable  to  save  him.  By  order  of  the  King  his  body  was 
placed  in  a  vault  in  the  church  on  High  Street  in  Brada, 
March  19,  1691,  with  extraordinary  honor  and  ceremonies. 
He  had  acquired  large  possessions  and  wealth,  therefore 
the  King  ordered  that  the  large  estate  of  the  deceased 
should  be  taken  care  of,  and  placed  it  under  the  care  of 
William  von  Schuylenburg,  council  of  the  King.  At  the 
same  time  notice  was  sent  to  all  princes  and  potentates 
in  whose  countries  there  was  property  of  the  deceased 
to  support  His  Majesty  in  this  undertaking.  Three  weeks 
before  his  death  he  had  made  his  will  and  had  given 
the  name  of  his  parents  and  his  five  brothers  and  two 
sisters. 


His  sister  Barbara  was  my  great-grandmother.  After 
the  death  of  my  granduncle  some  of  the  family  came  to 
America.  They  were  not  aware  of  the  death  of  their 
distinguished  brother  and  the  heirs  did  not  claim  the  vast 
fortune,  which  amounted  to  20,000,000  guilders  at  that 
time  and  now  with  compound  interest  should  be  to  200,- 
000,000  to  300,000,000  guilders,  and  is  still  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  King  and  in  the  treasuries  of  the  Netherlands. 
The  heirs  have  been  deprived  of  it  all  these  years, 
although  they  have  from  one  generation  to  another 
fought  the  case.  At  the  same  time  the  authorities  of 
Holland  are  not  a  little  in  doubt  and  are  embarrassed  for 
reasons  to  justify  keeping  the  Metzger  von  Weibnom 
estate  for  Holland. 

But  the  reason  of  all  their  decisions,  answers  and 
refusals  is  the  unmistakable  intention  to  keep  the  estate 
for  themselves,  even  at  the  cost  of  truth,  justice  and 
honor.  The  will  has  been  suppressed.  We  have  proof 
that  General  Rapp  in  1794  at  the  occupation  of  Brada 
had  taken  the  will,  dated  February  2,  1691,  from  the  city 
magistrate  to  carry  it  to  Strassburg  for  safety.  The  will 
has  never  been  executed. 

I  purposely  made  this  break  in  my  narrative  of  my 
childhood  in  justice  to  my  distinguished  father  who 
should  have  occupied  the  place  that  belonged  to  him  by 
right  and  title,  as  he  was  one  of  the  original  heirs  men- 
tioned in  my  uncle's  will — the  grandson  of  his  favorite 
sister,  Barbara  Metzger  von  Weibnom.  My  father  was 
a  minister.  He  was  Christ-like  with  his  people,  and  it 
was  beautiful  to  behold  with  what  reverence  the  people 
approached  him.  He  had  the  mild  blue  eye  the  poets 
write  about,  his  voice  was  soft  in  its  tenderness  when 
addressing  any  member  of  his  flock.  His  bearing  was 
dignified  and  reverent,  and  he  was  a  delightful  person  to 
know.  He  was  always  hopeful,  no  matter  what  difficul- 
ties arose  in  regard  to  the  finances  of  the  church.  In 
the  true  sense  of  the  word  he  was  a  father  to  his  people 
and  his  family.  His  elders  were  all  devotion  and  with 
them  his  word  was  law.  In  all  the  years  of  his  ministry 
I  cannot  recall  any  unhappy  situation  with  his  congrega- 
tion. Sadness  came  only  when  parting,  to  be  sent  to 
work  in  another  church.  He  was  a  great  pioneer  founder 
of  churches,  and  the  Synod  sent  him  first  in  one  direction, 
then  another. 

In  consequence  of  these  changes  I  traveled  a  great 
deal  in  childhood.  No  sooner  had  father  succeeded  in  get- 


ting  a  church  started  and  in  good  running  order  than  he 
would  be  sent  to  some  other  section  of  the  country.  In 
Virginia,  where  he  was  born  and  bred,  he  was  ordained 
at  the  age  of  twenty-five  and  soon  had  a  promising  charge 
in  Berks  county,  Pa.  From  there  he  was  sent  to  Evans- 
ville,  Ind.  It  was  while  he  was  filling  the  pulpit  at 
Womensdorf,  Pa.,  that  he  met  Miss  Mary  Stouch,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  the  year  1819.  Six  children 
were  born  to  them  while  at  this  pastorate.  The  church 
in  Evansville  had  been  without  a  pastor  for  over  two 
years  and  father  was  called  to  fill  the  position.  The 
parting  between  the  pastor  and  his  people  was  particu- 
larly sad.  My  mother  had  to  leave  her  girlhood  home  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life. 

Oh,  what  a  sad  journey  it  was  for  them.  It  was 
made  by  stage  and  boat  and  my  parents  had  six  young 
children.  Many  a  time  in  my  childhood  I  heard  the  sad 
tale  repeated.  And  the  reception  at  Evansville  was  still 
sadder  as  the  church  had  been  closed  and  the  building 
almost  destroyed  by  the  vicious  element  and  unconverted 
people  who  desired  no  religion  to  interfere  with  their 
ungodliness.  Many  attempts  had  been  made  to  re- 
store the  building,  but  those  who  attempted  it  were 
stoned  and  driven  away.  When  father  arrived  the  people 
of  the  congregation  who  remained  advised  him  not  to  do 
anything  with  the  church,  for  he  would  meet  the  same 
fate  as  his  predecessors.  But  father  was  not  daunted. 
He  visited  the  church  and  the  sight  of  God's  house  in 
such  a  condition  made  him  more  determined  to  do  the 
work  for  which  he  had  come.  After  calling  several  mem- 
bers together  he  gave  out  the  announcement  that  he  would 
open  the  church  on  the  following  Sabbath  at  all  hazards. 
He  asked  all  of  the  faith  to  come  to  his  home  Saturday 
evening.  About  fifty  responded,  and  during  the  business 
meeting  of  the  evening  seven  elders  were  chosen.  When 
all  was  satisfactorily  adjusted,  pastor  and  people  spent 
the  hours  in  prayer  until  midnight. 

Next  morning  the  faithful  people  gathered  and  father, 
with  the  Bible  in  hand,  led  them  in  procession  until  they 
arrived  at  the  church.  In  the  distance  could  be  seen  a 
line  of  men,  women  and  boys  on  both  sides  of  the  steps. 
The  elders  tried  to  persuade  father  to  give  up  the  attempt 
and  go  no  further.  He  turned  to  them  and  said,  "I  came 
to  conquer  for  the  Lord,  and  if  you  do  not  come  with 
me  I  shall  go  alone."  When  the  rabble  saw  them  coming, 
they  began  to  shout,  "Here  they  come.  Here  come  the 


saints."  A  boy  approached — more  bold  than  the  rest — 
and  as  he  came  father  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"Good  morning,  my  little  man.  I  am  glad  to  see  the 
young  as  well  as  the  old  to  welcome  me."  Then  he  spoke 
to  the  people  and  said,  "You  make  me  very  happy,  my 
dear  friends.  I  did  not  expect  such  a  large  congregation 
to  meet  me,  a  stranger,"  and  took  each  by  the  hand.  In 
one  hand  they  held  sticks,  stones  and  staves.  As  he 
spoke  kindly  to  them,  they  dropped  their  missiles  and 
extended  their  hands.  His  bravery  had  awed  them  and 
his  kindness  and  magnetism  had  won  them.  At  last  he 
gained  the  upper  step  in  front  of  the  church  and,  like 
Paul,  he  cried,  "Hear  ye  the  word  of  the  Lord.  For 
today  shall  peace  and  righteousness  dwell  among  you. 
Hear  what  the  Lord  God  speaketh  to  you.  I  came  not  to 
make  war  upon  you,  but  bring  you  the  message  of  peace. 
As  this  building  is  not  in  condition  to  enter,  I  will  give 
you  the  divine  message  from  the  door  of  the  temple." 
After  a  short  sermon  he  told  them  his  mission  was  to 
rebuild  the  church,  and  he  was  going  to  ask  them  all  to 
help.  A  short  prayer  followed  his  remarks,  and  the  bene- 
diction closed  this  remarkable  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
church.  Before  the  year  was  past  the  church  had  been 
restored.  The  membership  increased,  the  Sabbath  school 
grew  and  the  church  flourished  beyond  the  expectations 
of  the  oldest  members. 

Two  and  a  half  years  later  we  went  to  Mt.  Carmel, 
a  small  town  on  the  Wabash  river.  Conditions  were 
more  favorable,  yet  it  was  not  to  be  stationary,  for  only 
two  or  three  years.  During  that  time  I  was  born,  June 
12,  1836.  I  made  the  eighth  child — six  girls  and  two 
boys.  When  I  was  a  little  over  three  years  old,  father 
left  Mt.  Carmel  to  fill  the  vacancy  of  the  church  in 
Jonesborough,  Union  county,  111.,  in  an  unsettled  portion 
of  the  state,  among  good  Christian  people  who  had  begun 
to  settle  on  farms  and  stock  farms.  Acres  of  grain  and 
corn  fields  stretched  far  and  wide.  Jonesborough  was  a 
very  small  town  where  these  people  got  their  supplies  in 
exchange  for  their  produce.  The  women  wove  their 
cloth  and  linen  and  spun  their  yarn  and  did  the  dairy 
work,  while  the  men  cleared  and  planted  and  built  log 
houses,  barns  and  cribs.  We  were  heartily  welcomed  by 
these  good,  primitive  people.  They  had  waited  so  long 
for  a  shepherd  to  lead  them  that  many  of  the  congrega- 
tion were  in  waiting  and  the  elders  and  trustees  were  on 


JEWEL  WORN   BY  LADY   BARBARA  METZGER 
Great-grandmother  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson 


hand  to  see  to  the  conveyance  of  the  household  goods, 
which  were  quickly  put  in  waiting  wagons. 

It  was  the  Indian  summer  of  the  year.  The  foliage 
was  bright  and  the  air  crisp  and  cool.  Although  a  child, 
the  impression  made  upon  me  was  one  that  I  have  gone 
over  in  my  mind  many  times,  and  I  can  see  every  inch  of 
the  road,  the  kind  people,  the  beautiful  scenery,  birds  of 
bright  plumage,  and  rabbits  darting  across  the  road  at 
the  sound  of  our  wheels.  It  was  late  when  the  journey 
was  ended,  but  we  were  made  welcome  and  comfortable 
by  more  pleasant  faces  and  willing  hands.  The  parsonage 
was  a  large,  barnlike-looking  place,  built  partly  of  logs 
and  "shakes."  There  was  one  large  room  and  two  small 
ones  adjoining  and  a  shed  that  extended  the  length  of 
the  house.  In  the  large  room  was  a  fine,  spacious  fire- 
place, into  which  had  been  rolled  a  large  log  and  a  bright 
fire  was  blazing  which  sent  a  glow  of  warmth  and  lit  up 
the  logs  and  rafters  and  the  strips  of  white  plaster,  used  to 
close  up  the  cracks  and  keep  the  warmth  within  the  room. 
The  floors  were  made  of  oak  and  were  white  and  clean. 
Several  old-fashioned  split-bottom  chairs  graced  the  room, 
a  long  table  was  placed  in  the  center,  upon  which  was 
spread  a  snow-white  linen  cloth  of  homespun,  and  woven 
by  the  women.  While  the  wraps  were  being  removed 
the  women  had  placed  upon  the  table  the  best  that  could 
be  prepared  for  the  pastor's  welcome.  I'll  never  forget 
the  delicious  roast  chicken;  baked  sweet  potatoes,  baked 
in  the  ashes,  for  cook  stoves  were  not  known;  the  fine 
hot  corn  pone  baked  in  the  Dutch  oven,  hot  coals  heaped 
upon  the  lid  to  brown  and  crisp;  fresh  sweet  butter, 
pickles,  preserves.  Generous  loaves  of  bread,  biscuit  and 
cake  filled  the  pantries. 

When  father  entered  the  room  and  saw  the  prepara- 
tion that  had  been  made  he  was  overcome  with  the  tender 
hospitality  of  the  women  of  his  new  charge.  He  could 
not  restrain  his  tears.  As  they  all  surrounded  the  table, 
he  raised  his  hands  in  prayer  and  besought  God's  bless- 
ing upon  the  people  and  the  charge  he  had  once  more 
accepted.  The  congregation  was  scattered  far  and  wide. 
Many  miles  separated  the  neighbors  and  once  a  week 
was  the  only  time  when  gatherings  were  held.  On  the 
Sabbath  the  log  church  was  filled  with  solemn,  substantial 
people,  men  and  women  in  their  home-spun  garments, 
healthy  and  robust  the  men  and  rosy  and  buxom  the 
women.  Families  came  in  their  conveyances,  wagons, 
carts  and  old-style  buggies;  some  came  on  foot,  others  on 


horseback,  when  they  did  not  own  a  wagon.  Rain  or 
shine,  the  faithful  assembled  for  two  services.  After  the 
morning  service  the  families  gathered  and  seated  under  the 
trees  or  in  their  wagons  lunched  of  the  food  brought  along. 
A  fire  was  built  and  a  huge  caldron  of  coffee  was  made  of 
parched  wheat  ground  and  boiled.  Coffee  in  these  days 
was  only  for  the  rich  who  lived  in  the  cities.  Delicious 
cream  and  milk  was  in  abundance  for  all  the  younger 
people.  After  the  noon  repast  the  children  gathered  for 
the  Sunday  school.  The  second  service  began  at  3  o'clock 
and  closed  at  4.  This  work  continued  for  seven  years. 
During  that  time  the  log  church  was  replaced  by  a  fine 
frame  church  large  enough  to  accommodate  six  or  seven 
hundred  worshipers. 

During  the  years  of  this  pastorate  my  oldest  brother, 
Rev.  Phillip  Henry  Kroh,  was  graduated  from  the  theo- 
logical seminary  in  Ohio  and  had  returned  an  ordained 
minister.  He  was  at  once  made  an  assistant  by  my  father, 
the  field  being  too  large  for  him. 

In  1841  father  returned  from  the  eastern  Synod  with 
the  sad  tidings  that  he  had  been  appointed  to  go  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  We  had  lived  so  long  here,  wTe  expected  it 
was  to  be  our  future  home.  We  had  a  comfortable  house, 
a  maple  forest,  gardens  and  stock,  and  the  news  came  as 
a  severe  blow  to  my  poor  mother.  We  had  been  so  happy 
among  the  fruits,  flowers  and  country  freedom,  we  were 
loath  to  give  it  up  for  the  city.  It  was  with  a  sad  heart 
that  father  parted  from  these  good  and  faithful  people. 
The  only  balm  for  this  separation  was  to  leave  brother 
Phillip  with  them  as  his  successor.  He  had  become 
endeared  to  them  and  had  done  such  good  work  among 
the  young,  they  prayed  father  to  leave  him  if  the  family 
must  go. 

After  a  journey  of  three  weeks  we  arrived  at  the 
parsonage.  The  congregation  had  purchased  the  old 
Texas  church  in  the  western  addition  of  the  city,  and  the 
parsonage  was  attached  to  the  church  in  the  rear.  It  was 
a  comfortable  place  of  six  large  rooms.  The  furniture 
had  preceded  the  family  and  everything  looked  homelike 
and  comfortable,  so  mother  had  not  the  sadness  of  coming 
to  a  bare,  cheerless,  empty  house.  We  were  cordially 
greeted  by  the  elders'  wives  and  families,  and  when  we 
arrived  dinner  was  upon  the  table  for  us.  This  welcome 
was  more  homelike  because  of  our  own  things  having 
preceded  us.  And  then  we  were  such  a  busy  family  that 
we  had  little  time  to  waste  in  repinings.  We  were  all 


put  in  the  harness — the  Sabbath  school  and  choir.  We 
made  visits  with  our  parents  to  the  sick  and  the  poor. 
Because  we  spoke  nothing  but  the  German  language, 
we  were  obliged  to  go  to  school.  My  oldest  sister,  Mary, 
was  soon  established  in  the  German  department  of  the 
public  school.  She  was  graduated  from  the  Monticello 
Seminary,  St.  Louis,  before  coming  there.  She  taught  dur- 
ing the  week  in  the  public  school  and  on  Saturday  taught 
English  in  the  synagogue.  On  the  Sabbath  she  played  the 
melodeon  in  our  church.  It  was  there  that,  as  a  child,  I 
learned  the  grand  old  German  hymns  of  the  church  under 
her  guidance  and  which  helped  to  make  me  the  singer  I 
am  today. 

We  had  now  been  seven  years  in  Cincinnati  and  the 
church  had  flourished  so  greatly  that  a  second  German 
Reformed  church  was  the  outcome  of  father's  ministry. 
It  was  built  on  Webster  street  for  the  purpose  of  housing 
the  overflow  of  the  first  church  on  Betts  street.  In  all 
this  prosperity  California  gold  and  missionary  fields  were 
opened  and  discovered  in  November,  1847.  Father  was 
chosen  for  California,  and  the  only  way  to  go  was  over 
the  plains.  What  a  sad  family  was  ours  while  prepara- 
tions were  made  which  would  take  father  and  brother 
George,  who  was  now  17  years  old,  away,  as  we  thought, 
to  the  other  end  of  the  earth.  At  last  the  hour  came  and 
the  tie  that  bound  pastor  and  people,  father,  mother  and 
children  was  severed.  My  brother  George  told  me  the 
story  of  the  trip  as  follows: 

"The  party  left  Cincinnati  down  the  river  on  the 
steamer  Pontiac  about  May  10th,  1849,  arrived  in  St.  Louis 
four  days  after  the  fire,  May  18th,  and  remained  four  days 
at  Weston.  We  purchased  a  yoke  of  oxen.  At  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  we  purchased  two  more  yokes.  On  the  28th  we  went 
up  the  river  and  crossed  over  on  flatboats.  Here  we 
camped  for  the  night.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see  it  was 
one  level  stretch  of  land.  May  29th  we  started  on  the 
long  journey  across  the  plains  to  California.  Our  first 
mishap  came  in  crossing  over  a  bridge  made  of  logs, 
called  a  corduroy  bridge.  In  crossing  over  this  bridge 
one  of  the  oxen  was  crowded  too  near  the  edge.  He 
was  crowded  off  into  the  water  below  and  was  drowned 
before  we  could  give  aid.  After  traveling  for  seven  days 
more,  the  first  days  in  June,  we  came  to  Ash  Hollow.  At 
this  place  the  party  came  in  contact  with  a  whole  tribe 
of  Sioux  Indians.  They  were  peaceful,  and  we  traded 
with  them  and  gave  the  squaws  some  necklaces  of  bright 


colored  beads.  After  passing  the  Indian  tribe,  about  five 
miles  away,  we  camped  for  the  night.  We  reached  Fort 
Laramie  by  noon  the  next  day.  Here  we  purchased  a  fine 
cow  to  take  the  place  of  the  drowned  ox.  She  worked 
well.  She  supplied  the  party  with  fresh  milk  as  well. 
Fort  Laramie  consisted  of  only  the  fort  and  a  blacksmith 
shop.  We  continued  next  day  and  made  several  stops 
before  we  came  to  Fort  Bridger,  occupied  by  the  man 
Bridger  and  his  family.  He  had  a  squaw  wife  and  six 
children.  When  he  learned  that  father  was  a  missionary, 
he  brought  his  whole  family  to  our  camp  and  they  were 
all  baptized.  This  was  father's  first  missionary  work. 

"After  leaving  here  we  traveled  for  days  before  we  got 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  passing  through  Wyoming.  At  Salt 
Lake  City  father  and  Brigham  Young  had  a  long  and 
heated  argument.  A  number  of  men  and  women  joined 
in.  Among  the  women  were  several  who  did  not  believe 
as  they  were  compelled  to,  and  they  were  on  the  side  of 
the  missionary.  We  remained  here  a  week,  and  we  drove 
the  cattle  to  feed  and  the  Mormons  stole  them  two  dif- 
ferent times  and  compelled  the  company  to  pay  fifteen 
dollars  each  time  as  find  money.  Rather  an  expensive 
stay  for  one  week.  When  the  party  left,  the  women  who 
favored  us  came  out  with  baskets  filled  with  fresh  vege- 
tables, pumpkins,  sweet  potatoes  and  squash.  With  tears 
in  their  eyes  they  said  farewell.  When  we  left  we 
employed  the  services  of  a  Mormon  guide.  He  purposely 
led  us  on  the  wrong  trail  for  sixty  miles.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  us  to  return  and  get  the  right  trail.  When  we 
started  once  more  he  misled  us  the  second  time  and 
directed  us  into  a  deep  canyon.  In  order  to  get  out  of 
this  difficulty  we  were  obliged  to  take  the  wagon  to  pieces 
and  piece  by  piece  we  carried  them  out  into  safety.  His 
object  was  to  tire  out  our  oxen  and  get  us  to  desert  them 
so  he  could  appropriate  them.  At  last  we  discovered  his 
treachery  and  dismissed  him  at  once.  Then  we  continued 
our  journey  along  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  This  was  Kit 
Carson's  trail  from  Salt  Lake  to  Lower  California.  We 
(continued  our  travels  until  we  reached  Big  Muddy  river 
and  camped  there.  The  Indians  yelled  and  whooped  at 
us  all  night  long.  We  could  not  sleep,  for  they  were  the 
troublesome  Piutes.  We  did  not  know  how  to  act  as  they 
kept  concealed  and  were  in  great  numbers.  Two  of  them, 
more  bold  than  the  others,  being  also  curious,  crawled 
through  the  willows.  We  immediately  shot  at  them.  In 
the  morning  the  oxen  were  rounded  up  and  one  was  miss- 

8 


ing.  He  was  driven  away  by  the  Indians  and  killed.  We 
found  him  several  miles  further  along,  with  seven  arrows 
piercing  his  body.  Our  next  camping  place  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  The  snow  was  eighteen 
inches  deep  and  there  was  no  food  for  the  cattle.  After 
going  a  mile  further  the  cow  gave  out.  That  left  us  with- 
out any  means  to  haul  the  wagons.  Father  left  his  wagon 
and  we  packed  our  goods  on  a  horse,  this  being  the  only 
animal  remaining  in  father's  possession.  We  were  compelled 
to  leave  many  useful  things  behind.  Father's  feet  were 
frozen  at  this  place  and  we  were  obliged  to  cut  off  his 
boots  to  assist  him  out  of  his  misery.  Our  sufferings 
were  great  and  we  nearly  froze  on  the  trail.  We  kept 
going  at  a  slow  pace  and  with  great  difficulty  until  we 
passed  the  snow  belt,  and  when  we  came  to  the  green 
fields  or  plains  our  joy  knew  no  bounds.  But  misfortune 
overtook  us  here,  for  we  turned  our  horse  out  with  the 
cattle  and  that  was  the  last  we  ever  saw  of  him.  We 
came  at  last  to  Cottonwood  Springs  and  we  camped  there 
for  two  days  to  let  the  remaining  cattle  rest  and  eat  of 
herbage. 

"In  the  evening  of  the  second  day  we  started  to  cross 
the  great  desert.  We  succeeded  in  crossing  by  midnight 
and  reached  the  mountains  on  the  other  side.  I  was  so 
tired  I  fell  asleep  beside  the  trail.  The  team  passed  me 
as  I  slept.  I  did  not  awaken  until  2  in  the  morning.  I 
followed  the  trail  and  found  the  team,  a  distance  of  four 
or  five  miles  ahead  of  where  I  took  the  nap.  On  reaching 
camp,  father  and  the  company  were  anxiously  awaiting 
me.  We  rested  for  the  night.  Next  morning  we  started 
through  a  deep  canyon  which  eventually  opened  into  a 
beautiful  valley  where  we  saw  houses  made  of  adobe. 
The  fields  were  covered  with  cattle.  This  was  the  first 
civilization  we  saw  since  leaving  Salt  Lake.  Starvation 
had  almost  overtaken  us  and  we  besought  the  owner  to 
sell  us  an  ox  and  we  had  a  feast  and  appeased  our 
hunger.  We  had  lost  all  accounting  of  time  until  we 
came  here.  We  camped  for  the  night,  and  next  morning 
we  started  for  Los  Angeles.  We  arrived  there  November 
18,  1849.  The  Spaniards  had  taken  a  strong  liking  toward 
father  and  wanted  to  make  him  their  Alcalde,  but  he 
refused  the  honor  and  told  them  he  had  come  to  preach 
the  gospel  and  had  to  go  further.  On  his  going  they 
presented  him  with  a  fine  horse  and  saddle  as  a  token  of 
their  esteem  for  him.  At  that  time  Los  Angeles  had  only 
a  few  adobe  houses  and  a  Catholic  mission.  Commodore 


Stockton  had  dug  trenches  around  the  place  as  a  means 
of  defense.  We  slowly  wended  our  way  for  another 
month  when  we  met  a  man  who  had  bought  a  thousand 
head  of  cattle.  He  told  father  he  could  earn  his  way  up 
the  coast  by  helping  drive  the  cattle,  but  he  was  not  able  to 
do  this  spirited  work,  so  father  and  son  exchanged  places. 
Father  turned  the  horse  over  to  me  and  he  drove  the 
supply  wagon.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  was  a  real 
cowboy. 

"We  followed  the  coast  through  Santa  Clara  and 
Santa  Cruz,  crossing  over  to  Livermore  and  San  Joaquin 
valley,  this  being  the  end  of  the  cattle  drive.  Here  we 
were  paid  and  dismissed  and  our  employer  said  we  were 
about  forty  miles  from  Stockton  and  about  the  same  distance 
from  the  mines.  We  plodded  slowly  along,  following  up  the 
Stanislaus  river.  The  first  place  we  reached  having  a 
name  was  Knight's  Ferry.  We  were  out  of  money  and 
clothes  when  we  arrived  at  this  place.  The  ferryman 
took  us  across  without  pay  and  bade  us  remain  all  night. 
Up  to  this  time  we  wore  buckskin  trousers.  I  went  out 
hunting  and  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents  and  my 
trousers  got  drenched.  They  stretched  so  long  I  cut 
them  off  so  I  could  walk.  When  they  dried  they  had 
shrunken  above  my  knees.  At  this  place  we  met  Mr. 
Dent,  a  brother-in-law  of  General  Grant.  With  him  also 
was  a  Mr.  Vantine.  When  these  men  saw  the  unfortu- 
nate condition  we  were  in,  they  gave  us  each  a  pair  of 
overalls  and  a  hat.  So  we  were  once  more  a  little  more 
civilized  and  passable.  On  our  way  up  the  coast  we 
encountered  a  heavy  storm.  We  had  prepared  to  camp 
under  a  fine  tree,  but  a  large  dead  limb  hung  directly  over 
us.  I  told  father  that  we  had  better  move  as  there  was 
danger.  But  he  thought  it  safe  to  remain  where  we  were. 
But  I  insisted  that  we  move,  and  finally  he  listened  to  my 
pleadings  and  we  each  took  an  end  of  the  bed  and  lifted 
it  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  tree,  away  from  the  dead 
limb.  We  had  hardly  gotten  settled  into  the  bed  before 
the  limb  came  down  with  a  crash,  immediately  across  the 
spot  from  where  we  took  the  bed.  Had  we  remained, 
nothing  could  have  saved  us  from  instant  death.  The  next 
day  we  left  Knight's  Ferry  without  a  dollar  and  reached 
the  mines  that  afternoon  about  4  o'clock.  One  of  the 
miners  gave  me  a  claim.  The  next  morning  I  started  my 
first  gold  mining.  Father  was  obliged  to  rest  after  all 
this  dreadful  experience  of  nine  or  ten  months.  I  bought 
myself  a  rocker  and  began  to  work  my  claim.  The  first 

10 


day  I  had  washed  out  $9.50.  In  eight  days  I  had  gotten 
out  $650.  After  getting  the  gold  father  went  to  Stockton 
and  bought  a  supply  of  groceries  and  started  a  grocery 
store  at  Scorpion  Gulch.  I  took  up  another  claim  and  in 
ten  days'  time  I  had  taken  out  a  collection  of  nuggets  and 
small  gold  to  the  amount  of  $1,600." 

This  was  sent  home  to  the  family  in  the  East  with 
the  message  for  us  to  come  to  California  as  soon  as  we 
could  get  ready. 

After  father  started  for  California  we  were  obliged  to 
vacate  the  parsonage  for  the  family  of  his  successor.  So 
the  church  was  raised  and  a  fine  story  made  under  the 
church  for  our  use  while  we  remained  there.  We  were 
all  obliged  to  work  and  help  mother  in  some  way.  The 
older  ones  were  teaching  and  we  who  were  but  children 
sewed  a  certain  amount  each  day  before  our  play  hour 
came.  My  sister  Alary  now  played  the  organ  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Aiken  was  the  director  of 
the  choir.  I  was  about  ten  years  old  at  this  time,  and  with 
the  new  minister  other  changes  came  in  our  church  and 
we  left  the  choir  to  others  who  came  after  us.  Shortly 
after  this  I  remember  going  one  Sabbath  to  the  church  to 
hear  sister  play  the  pipe  organ.  While  in  the  choir  loft 
Mr.  Aiken  came  in.  He  came  over  and  asked  me  how  I 
came  there.  I  told  him  I  had  come  with  my  sister.  "Who 
is  your  sister?"  "Miss  Kroh,  who  plays  the  organ."  He 
looked  surprised.  Presently  I  saw  them  conversing.  When 
sister  came  to  her  place  she  said  to  me,  "When  the  choir 
arises  to  sing  you  go  over  and  stand  with  the  alto."  I 
demurred  and  she  said,  "Go  and  sing  as  you  have  been 
singing  in  our  choir.  You  know  the  music."  After  that 
Sunday  I  sang  with  the  choir  five  years,  until  we  came 
to  California.  I  was  then  fifteen.  That  is  how  I  became 
a  choir  singer  when  ten  years  of  age.  Mr.  Aiken  used 
to  pick  me  out  from  among  the  children  of  the  public 
schools  and  place  me  in  the  front  row  in  every  school  I 
ever  attended  while  he  taught  the  music. 

Mr.  Aiken  became  musical  instructor  in  the  schools  in 
1848.  It  was  then  I  was  selected  to  join  the  choral  class. 
There  were  fifty  boys  and  girls  picked  from  the  different 
schools  and  we  had  a  fine  drilling  each  Saturday  afternoon 
in  the  basement  of  the  church.  One  of  the  boys  had  a  high 
soprano  voice  and  we  all  admired  his  singing  to  adoration. 
He  was  as  courteous  as  his  voice  was  beautiful — unspoiled 
by  praise.  We  had  one  chorus  we  all  loved,  of  which  he 
was  the  soloist,  and  we  were  not  satisfied  with  the  re- 

11 


hearsal  until  we  had  sung,  and  the  young  master  had  so 
beautifully  rendered  the  obligate  to  the  song,  "Shepherd, 
from  your  sleep  awake,  Morning  opes  her  golden  eyes, 
etc."  How  well  I  remember  the  words  of  the  song  and  the 
beautiful  boy  singer  that  left  the  impression  of  his  voice 
in  my  life,  and  I  can  see  the  picture  as  plain  as  if  it  hung 
on  the  wall  of  my  studio  today.  From  that  voice  and  the 
correct  guidance  of  my  sainted  sister  Mary  I  have  been 
able  to  sing  and  please  the  many  thousands  of  people  who 
have  listened  to  me  in  my  years  of  song  wherever  I 
strayed — in  the  East  or  West. 

In  speaking  of  Professor  Junkerman's  work  in  the 
schools  of  Cincinnati,  a  coincidence  happened  in  1906 
which  recalled  my  childhood  days  with  all  the  vivid  color- 
ing traced  upon  my  mind  fifty-two  years  ago.  In  the 
number  of  The  Musician  for  May,  1906,  I  saw  two 
pictures  that  were  familiar  and  I  looked  without  seeing  the 
names  printed  beneath  them.  To  my  utter  astonishment 
they  were  the  likenesses  of  Mr.  Aiken  and  Professor 
Junkerman,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  over  fifty  years  and 
yet  I  knew  them  at  sight — the  moment  my  eyes  beheld 
them.  In  reading  the  article  and  what  it  contained  in 
regard  to  the  music  and  its  development,  I  was  able  to 
go  over  the  whole  ground  of  Mr.  Aiken's  teaching  as  if  I 
were  once  more  a  school  child.  All  three  of  these  persons 
were  in  the  schools — Professor  Junkerman,  in  languages, 
organ  and  piano ;  my  sister,  Mary  Kroh,  his  pupil  on  both 
organ  and  piano,  also  teacher  of  English  and  German, 
and  Mr.  Aiken,  the  teacher  in  the  public  schools  for  voice 
and  the  movable  "do"  system.  Was  ever  such  a  windfall 
of  good  fortune  as  this  proved  to  me?  I  had  tried  to 
recall  the  name  of  the  dear  old  professor  to  use  it  in  my 
narrative,  but  my  memory  was  at  fault.  We  all  loved 
him  so  well.  He  was  a  thorough  musician  and  thoroughly 
appreciated  by  all  who  had  the  advantage  of  his  knowl- 
edge, either  in  languages  or  in  instrumental  music.  The 
Musician  contains  a  complete  detail  of  these  two  men  who 
were  instrumental  in  promoting  the  best  music  in  the  early 
years  of  1839  and  later  in  1842  and  continued  until  1879 
for  Mr.  Aiken,  and  Professor  Junkerman  closed  his  public 
career  in  1900. 


12 


Rev.  Phillip  Henry  Kroh  Geo.  Z.  Kroh  Olevianus  Casper  Kroh 

Mrs.  Emma  Jane  Kroh-Knight 

Rev.  Henry  Kroh,  D.  D.  Mrs.  Mary  Stouch-Kroh 

Mrs.  Mary  Matilda  Kroh-Trembly  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Kroh-Flagler 

Mrs.  Margaret  R.  Kroh-Blake-Alverson 
Mrs.  Sarah  Rebecca  Kroh-Harrold  Mrs.  Ann  Lauretta  Kroh-Zimmerman 

REV.  DR.  AND  MRS.  HENRY  KROH  AND  FAMILY 
Stockton,    1852 


CHAPTER  TWO 


OUR  TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA  VIA  THE  ISTHMUS,  AND  EARLY  DAYS 
THERE.     FIRST  CHURCH  CHOIR  IN  STOCKTON 

T  LAST  the  long-looked-for  letter  came  that 
father  and  brother  had  arrived  in  the  mines 
of  California,  and  in  the  letter  were  several 
small  flakes  of  gold  wrapped  in  a  bit  of  paper. 
We  had  so  long  hoped  against  hope  that  the 
sight  of  the  familiar  writing  caused  the  greatest  excite- 
ment. Poor  mother  could  hardly  hold  out  any  longer 
and  the  news  was  too  much  for  her  weak  body,  for  she 
was  just  convalescing  from  weeks  of  sickness  brought  on 
by  hope  deferred  and  waiting  and  watching  each  day  for 
a  word  from  the  wanderers.  We  were  obliged  to  refrain 
for  her  sake,  but  we  were  all  like  as  if  news  came  from 
the  dead — ten  long  months  and  no  word.  After  we  were 
somewhat  quieted  sister  Mary  read  the  letter  aloud.  It 
was  like  reading  the  last  will  of  the  departed,  we  were 
all  so  unnerved.  At  the  close  of  the  letter  we  were 
informed  to  get  in  readiness  and  that  the  money  was 
already  on  the  way  for  us.  It  had  taken  over  two  months 
for  this  letter  to  come  by  steamer,  and  we  counted  the 
days  for  another  with  the  gold  to  take  us  away  to  Cali- 
fornia. What  a  consternation  this  news  made  in  the 
congregation!  They  had  hoped  that  father  might  return 
if  things  were  not  favorable,  but  the  letter  and  the  gold 
in  the  letter  and  the  money  coming  to  take  us  away  were 
too  true.  There  was  no  hope  now  that  he  would  return. 
The  successor  of  father  was  a  young  minister,  Rev.  Henry 
Rust.  He  heard  the  news  with  a  sad  heart,  for  he  and 
my  sister  Mary  were  betrothed.  Father's  message  was 
for  sister  Mary  to  take  his  place  as  help  to  mother,  who 
was  not  able  to  take  the  family  alone  over  the  two  oceans 
with  all  the  uncertainty  of  travel.  The  weeks  of  waiting 
were  spent  in  preparation.  Many  busy  fingers  plied  the 
needle  (for  sewing  machines  were  not  known  at  that 
time).  Young  as  I  was,  I  was  no  stranger  to  the  use  of 
the  needle,  for  that  is  part  of  a  German  girl's  educa- 
tion, with  knitting  and  crocheting.  I  was  born  in  the 

13 


time  of  weaving,  spinning  and  carding.  Much  brass  and 
pewter  household  articles  were  to  be  kept  bright  and  shiny. 
Children  in  those  days  were  little  housewives  and  took 
as  much  pride  in  having  the  family  silver,  copper  and 
brass  polished  as  the  older  ones.  The  oaken  floors  were 
made  white  with  soft  soap  and  sand,  and  the  comfortable 
rugs  of  rag  carpet  were  woven  with  special  care.  The 
high-posted  bedsteads  with  the  valance  around  the  bot- 
tom of  white  linen,  the  canopy  above  draped  with  chintz 
of  the  daintiest  tracings  of  figures  and  flowers,  and  oh, 
the  feather  bed  well  beaten  and  made  high,  and  immacu- 
late white  quilt  finished  a  bed  fit  for  a  king  to  rest  his 
royal  body  upon.  While  we  had  not  a  grand  home,  it 
was  a  place  of  order,  taste  and  refinement.  Each  one 
was  taught  to  feel  responsible  for  the  good  or  bad  impres- 
sions from  strangers  who  visited  us  from  time  to  time. 
Consequently  we  all  took  pride  in  keeping  order,  which 
was  the  law  of  the  home,  and  as  young  as  we  were  we 
felt  justly  proud  of  praise  from  strangers.  After  school 
we  had  so  much  to  sew,  mend  or  knit.  When  that  was 
done,  we  were  allowed  to  play  until  six.  The  evenings 
were  spent  in  preparing  the  lessons  for  the  next  day.  My 
early  years  were  spent  in  work  and  play.  Law  and 
order  was  the  rule,  but  none  of  us  were  unhappy  by  the 
restraint.  It  was  an  education  that  has  made  the  men  and 
women  of  our  family  what  they  are  today.  We  were 
home  keepers  as  well  as  entertainers. 

Having  traveled  so  much  during  our  lifetime,  changing 
from  one  city  to  another,  we  were  not  afraid  to  take  this 
last  long  journey.  The  difficulty  was  what  to  take,  espe- 
cially of  many  of  the  heirlooms  that  mother  still  retained 
from  her  girlhood  home.  After  inquiry  and  instructions 
from  the  steamship  company,  we  found  to  our  dismay 
that  no  furniture  could  go,  as  there  was  no  way  of  get- 
ting it  over  the  Isthmus.  All  our  long-cherished  house- 
hold furniture  must  remain  behind.  Only  things  that 
could  be  taken  up  in  small  boats  were  allowed.  Kind 
friends  of  the  congregation  made  their  choice  and  took 
them  as  keepsakes  in  remembrance  of  us  when  we  were 
far  away.  This  act  of  kindness  was  much  appreciated 
by  mother,  who  suffered  much  anguish  of  mind  to  see 
the  familiar  things  of  her  girlhood  scattered  here  and 
there  and  her  claim  to  them  forever  gone.  She  had  here- 
tofore been  able  to  go  willingly  to  different  places  because 
the  familiar  things  made  it  homelike  when  settled  in  new 
surroundings,  but  this  time  all  must  be  left  behind.  Cali- 

14 


fornia  was  too  far — she  was  going  out  to  the  great  un- 
known world,  far  from  civilization,  not  knowing  what  was 
before  her.  If  everything  else  had  to  be  left,  she  still 
retained  the  affection  of  her  children,  and  we  were  as 
watchful  of  her  happiness  and  comfort  as  if  we  were  her 
keeper.  Her  hopes  of  meeting  father  and  son,  and  her 
children  with  her,  gave  her  the  courage  to  begin  the  long 
journey. 

It  was  now  the  year  1851.  Mary  had  been  teaching 
in  the  public  schools  and  synagogue ;  sister  Emma  was 
sewing.  They  kept  the  finances  from  running  low,  as 
father's  salary  had  to  go  to  his  successor  and  we  had  no 
other  means  of  support.  With  good  management  and 
many  friends  we  all  came  safely  through  the  ordeal.  After 
the  first  letter  we  had  received  no  other  word  and  the 
second  year  was  passing,  although  we  had  been  ready  for 
months  with  the  disposal  of  our  household  goods.  The 
sisters  kept  their  positions,  so  all  went  on  as  usual.  In 
the  latter  part  of  May  a  rap  was  heard  at  the  front  door 
and  sister  Mary  answered  the  summons  and  before  her 
stood  the  express  man  of  Adams  Express  Company,  and 
he  handed  her  a  canvas  sack  filled  with  gold  and  a  letter 
addressed  to  mother  from  California.  Father  had  sent 
us  $1,600  and  orders  to  come  as  soon  as  possible.  He 
would  be  awaiting  us  in  Stockton,  California.  After  our 
surprise  was  over,  what  was  to  be  done  with  all  this 
money — we  could  not  keep  it  here  safely.  So  sister  Sarah 
was  dispatched  to  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  church  who 
had  a  safe  in  his  office.  The  money  was  placed  in  a 
covered  basket  and  she  was  sent  with  all  haste  to  get 
to  the  office  before  closing  time,  but  fate  was  against 
her  and  Mr.  Butler  had  closed  the  office  and  gone.  So 
she  was  obliged  to  bring  it  home  once  more.  It  was  dark 
before  she  came  back  and  there  were  two  men  who  fol- 
lowed her  at  a  distance  all  the  way  going  and  coming. 
\Yhat  to  do  to  protect  this  great  amount  of  money  was  a 
vital  question.  We  occupied  the  first  story  under  the 
church  and  the  front  rooms  faced  on  Betts  street,  as  did 
the  entrance  of  the  church.  The  original  parsonage  had 
not  been  occupied  since  we  vacated  it  because  the  new 
minister  had  no  family.  We  still  retained  the  key.  After 
our  plans  were  made,  myself  and  sister  Sarah  were  sent 
out  on  the  sidewalk  as  if  we  were  playing,  to  see  if  any 
strangers  were  lurking  around.  Mother  stood  in  the  front 
door  and  talked  with  us  while  sister  Mary,  accompanied 
by  my  small  brother,  took  the  money  and  went  up  to  the 

15 


other  parsonage  and  let  herself  in,  then  into  the  church. 
It  was  still  daylight.  So  as  not  to  use  a  light,  she  quietly 
slipped  into  the  church,  removed  one  side  of  the  pulpit 
steps  and  let  my  brother  crawl  over  to  the  other  side  and 
put  the  gold  beneath  the  steps  there.  After  depositing  it, 
she  quietly  put  everything  in  place  and  returned  to  the 
house.  Then  we  retired  for  the  evening. 

None  of  the  neighbors  knew  of  the  money  being 
received.  It  came  at  an  hour  when  no  one  was  coming 
home  or  happened  to  be  on  the  sidewalk.  The  shutters 
on  the  first  floor  were  solid  wood  so  no  one  could  molest 
us.  We  had  been  clearing  the  house  and  packing  things 
away.  We  were  all  tired  and  slept  well.  Mary  and 
Emma  occupied  the  front  room  and  for  some  unknown 
reason  left  the  wooden  bar  off  that  made  the  door  secure, 
and  these  two  men  came  in  so  quietly  that  no  one 
heard  them.  They  had  unlocked  the  doors  to  escape  in 
case  they  were  discovered.  Mother  was  awakened  during 
the  night  and  said,  "Mary,  are  you  up?"  No  answer. 
After  a  short  silence  she  heard  another  sound  and  she 
called,  "Are  you  ill,  Mary?  If  you  are,  I'll  get  up  and 
help."  Receiving  no  answer,  she  reached  out  to  light  the 
candle,  but  hearing  nothing  more  she  thought  she  had 
been  mistaken  and  went  to  sleep.  She  arose  early  and 
found  the  shutters  unlocked  and  the  side  door  ajar.  Then 
she  went  into  the  parlor  and  all  the  chairs  had  been  taken 
from  the  front  door  where  they  had  been  piled.  She 
immediately  realized  that  there  had  been  robbers  in  the 
house  searching  for  the  gold.  She  awoke  the  girls  and 
told  them  of  what  had  happened,  and  you  can  imagine 
our  consternation.  As  long  as  we  remained  in  the  house 
we  lived  in  fear  of  a  second  attempt.  The  next  morning 
sister  Sarah  was  sent  with  the  gold  to  our  friend,  Mr. 
Butler,  who  was  surprised  and  simply  amazed  at  the 
amount  sister  gave  him  to  keep.  He  immediately  put  it 
into  safer  hands  at  the  mint  where  the  gold  was  weighed 
and  the  value  given  in  money  and  placed  in  the  bank 
subject  to  mother's  order.  When  Mr.  Butler  was  told  of 
the  attempted  robbery  he  immediately  arranged  to  have 
the  house  watched  each  night  until  our  departure,  which 
came  the  first  week  in  June,  1851.  We  left  Cincinnati 
for  New  York  and  were  welcomed  on  our  arrival  by 
friends  with  whom  we  remained  for  a  week.  On  the 
following  Monday  we  secured  passage  for  California  on 
the  steamer  Ohio  bound  for  Aspinwall.  I  was  too  young 
and  also  too  ill  to  know  just  the  route  taken,  but  after 

16 


Virtue  Alone  Ennobles 
THE    FAMILY    COAT   OF   ARMS 


a  month  we  arrived  at  Aspinwall,  and  when  our  belong- 
ings were  properly  taken  care  of  we  started  on  our  jour- 
ney across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

We  were  nine  days  going  up  the  Chagres  river  in  flat- 
boats.  This  trip,  girl  as  I  was,  I  can  recall  perfectly  and 
it  was  an  experience  which  has  served  in  after  years  as  an 
education  which  I  have  used  in  many  ways.  We,  as  chil- 
dren, had  access  to  father's  great  library  and  magazines 
from  which  we  learned  so  much  of  foreign  countries  and 
people.  I  had  artistic  tastes  and  I  used  to  find  the  tropical 
pictures  and  scenes  much  to  my  liking  and  asked  many 
questions  in  regard  to  the  different  people  among  whom 
the  missionaries  worked.  I  had  never  thought  ever  to  see 
or  realize  such  a  picture  in  the  tropics  as  this.  We  had 
a  large  boat  assigned  to  our  family  alone.  Our  belongings 
were  deposited  and  two  great,  black  natives  were  placed 
at  each  end  of  the  boat  or  scow.  They  were  without 
clothing,  save  for  a  short,  full  skirt  of  white  cloth  fastened 
around  their  waists  on  a  band.  Each  used  a  long  pole  to 
propel  the  scow.  We  were  the  only  family  of  women  on 
board  the  steamer.  There  was  Mr.  Biggar  and  his  wife 
and  a  bride  and  her  husband,  besides  several  colored 
women  and  their  husbands  coming  out  to  take  positions 
on  the  Pacific  steamers.  All  the  other  passengers  were 
men,  coming  to  hunt  their  fortunes  and  go  back  rich. 
There  were  about  eight  or  nine  of  these  scows.  The  rail- 
road was  not  finished,  but  it  was  being  built  at  that  time. 
The  surveying  was  being  done  and  small  cabins  were 
built  for  the  surveyors'  use  at  the  different  stations  where 
we  camped  for  the  night.  The  captain  had  provided  us 
with  food  in  cans  and  packages,  toasted  bread  and  other 
things  for  our  comfort  and  utensils  for  cooking,  and  we 
had  a  jolly  picnic  for  nine  long  days  before  we  came  to 
the  place  where  we  mounted  the  burros  to  take  us  the 
rest  of  the  way  to  Panama. 

To  describe  this  journey  needs  a  more  romantic  pen 
than  mine,  but  I'll  endeavor  to  tell  you  of  some  of  the 
features  and  things  that  we  saw  which  were  so  strange 
and  wonderful  to  me.  After  we  had  said  our  good-byes 
to  the  captain  and  officers  who  were  so  gallant  to  us  and 
did  all  they  could  for  us  during  the  long  month  on  the 
rough  Atlantic,  we  climbed  into  our  boat  and  these  natives 
took  charge  of  it,  one  at  each  end,  with  a  gutteral  grunt 
from  both.  They  lightly  took  their  places  and  we  began 
our  journey  up  the  Chagres  river.  It  was  a  warm,  bright 
morning,  and  a  light  haze  in  the  atmosphere  made  it 

17 


appear  like  spring.  At  first  we  felt  afraid  of  our  boat- 
men, but  soon  we  were  drinking  in  all  of  the  panoramic 
effects  of  the  changing  scenes  of  trailing  vines,  tropical 
flowers  and  other  splendors.  The  chattering  of  monkeys 
and  parrots,  the  alligators  lying  upon  the  opposite  shore 
like  great  gray  logs,  some  sleeping,  some  with  their  great 
mouths  wide  open  to  allow  the  insects  to  gather  on  their 
tongues,  were  things  never  to  be  forgotten.  I  observed 
that  when  a  large  number  of  flies  had  gathered  the  alli- 
gators would  close  their  capacious  jaws,  satisfied  with  the 
sweet  morsel,  and  roll  their  eyes  with  apparent  enjoyment. 
Then  they  once  more  slowly  opened  their  ponderous  jaws 
and  quietly  waited  for  another  meal.  We  had  gone  on 
our  way  several  hours  without  speaking,  there  was  so 
much  to  see  and  it  was  all  so  new.  The  quaint  song  of 
the  natives  amused  us.  They  never  seemed  to  weary  of 
the  same  "Yenze,  yenze,  ah  yenze."  At  the  third  "Yenze" 
the  boat  would  shoot  up  the  stream  twice  its  length.  It 
was  nearing  noon  and  the  sun  was  getting  torrid  and  the 
air  close  and  stifling.  Without  any  warning  the  rain 
showered  upon  us  and  we  were  obliged  to  remain  in  our 
places  and  let  it  come  down  upon  us,  regardless  of  results 
to  our  clothing.  The  rain  was  of  short  duration,  how- 
ever, and  we  rather  enjoyed  the  cooling  effect.  Presently 
the  sun  shone  in  all  its  glory  and  in  an  hour  we  were 
once  more  with  dry  clothing.  This  mixed  weather  con- 
tinued the  whole  ten  days  of  our  journey. 

At  noon  of  each  day  we  disembarked  and  prepared  our 
meal,  generally  stopping  at  one  of  the  stations  of  the  rail- 
road. We  found  quite  a  number  of  white  men  and  Mexi- 
cans at  each  place.  They  gladly  received  us  and  offered 
us  some  of  their  fare.  In  exchange  we  gave  them  soup, 
made  in  a  large  kettle,  and  had  several  things  they  were 
strangers  to  in  their  life  in  the  forest  of  vines,  flowers 
and  fruit  of  the  tropics  where  they  subsisted  on  rations  of 
pork,  bacon,  hardtack,  etc.  They  gladly  accepted  our 
fare  and  we  partook  of  theirs.  Before  we  started  again 
the  men  came  to  the  boat  with  baskets  of  fresh  cut 
oranges  and  bananas  and  plantains.  They  were  for  us  to 
take  on  the  steamer  and  we  could  enjoy  them  as  they 
ripened  on  the  way.  We  received  marked  attention  from 
the  men  at  every  station.  Women  coming  to  California 
were  a  novelty,  and  when  they  learned  we  were  all  of  one 
family  of  the  American  Padre,  they  were  still  more  gra- 
cious. So  we  journeyed  for  ten  days,  each  day  bringing 
forth  some  new  feature.  At  night  we  left  the  boats  and 

18 


slept  in  the  bungalows  perched  high  in  the  air,  and  to 
reach  them  we  climbed  steps  cut  out  in  a  large  log  placed 
at  the  opening.  There  was  only  one  large  room  and  we 
all  slept  on  the  floor,  rolled  in  our  blankets.  We  got  but 
little  sleep  because  of  the  noise  from  below  made  by  Ameri- 
cans and  Spaniards  playing  cards  and  smoking  cigarettes 
and  Spanish  girls  dancing  as  the  men  thrummed  on  the 
guitars.  The  Spaniards  carried  long  knives  at  their  sides 
and  pistols  in  their  belts,  wore  wide  straw  hats  and  red 
sashes,  black  trousers  slashed  down  the  side  and  trimmed 
with  rows  of  bright  buttons.  High-heeled  boots  and  spurs 
finished  the  unique  garb.  The  women  wore  a  white 
chemise  and  white  petticoat  and  slippers.  Their  black 
hair,  plaited  in  two  braids,  and  a  silk  shawl  thrown 
gracefully  over  their  heads  and  a  fan,  which  is  an  indis- 
pensable article  to  a  Spanish  lady,  completed  the  toilet. 
Nothing  but  troubled  sleep  came  to  our  relief  during  these 
days.  Fear  of  the  Spaniards  and  the  movements  of  the 
lizards  on  the  rafters  and  walls,  with  now  and  then  a 
tarantula,  made  rest  almost  impossible.  At  last  we  had 
only  one  day  more,  the  tenth  day.  We  had  gotten  familiar 
with  the  different  scenes,  the  waving  palms,  the  trailing 
vines  where  the  monkeys  climbed  or  hung  by  their  tails 
and  chattered  in  their  own  way.  The  scarlet  lingawacha, 
or  tongue  plant,  hung  in  graceful  lengths  and  brightened 
the  varied  colored  green  in  the  background.  Innumerable 
families  of  parrots  talked  and  screamed  from  the  branches. 
Bananas  and  orange  trees  everywhere  interspersed  with 
tall  cocoanut  palms,  the  large  and  small  alligators  basking 
in  the  sun  on  the  sand  were  pictures  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten. The  natives  in  their  peculiar  dress,  the  fandango  at 
night,  the  graceful  twirl  of  the  Spanish  waltz  put  the  life 
touch  to  the  picture  that  comes  to  me  today  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  as  it  was  in  those  days  when  I  experienced,  a 
girl  of  fifteen,  all  the  discomforts  of  travel  from  Cincin- 
nati to  California. 

It  was  about  4  o'clock  on  the  tenth  day  when  we  arrived 
at  the  small  village  where  we  were  to  remain  for  the 
night  and  next  morning,  then  ho !  for  Panama.  We  had 
better  accommodations  here,  a  large  adobe  house,  kept  by 
a  Spaniard  and  wife  and  daughters,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  steamship  company,  which  also  controlled  the  scows 
that  we  used  on  the  river  Chagres.  Our  goods  were  trans- 
ferred from  the  scows  to  the  pack  mule  train.  After 
everything  had  been  safely  lashed  upon  their  backs,  our 
burros  were  brought  and  we  all  mounted  astride.  It  was 

19 


well  for  us  we  were  no  strangers  to  riding.  My  youngest 
brother  was  too  small  to  ride,  so  a  large  native  bamboo 
chair  was  brought  and  strapped  upon  the  back  of  a  large 
native  and  in  the  chair,  safely  tied  in,  sat  the  brother,  as 
contented  as  a  lord.  He  was  such  a  handsome  child, 
mother  did  not  want  to  have  the  native  take  him  for  fear 
he  would  steal  him,  so  she  had  the  slave  start  first  and 
she  came  behind  and  rode  with  him  in  sight  all  the  way, 
but  she  was  unnecessarily  alarmed,  for  he  was  most  faith- 
ful. The  day  before  we  left  for  the  steamer  he  came 
with  an  offering  of  fruit  and  nuts  for  the  boy  and  the 
madre  and  senoritas.  Mother  gave  him  an  extra  dollar 
and  he  was  greatly  surprised  and  smilingly  picked  up 
brother  and  carried  him  to  the  steamer  and  assisted  us  in 
every  way  until  we  were  safely  transferred  to  the  steam- 
ship Tennessee,  Captain  Totten,  commander.  The  ride  on 
the  burros  over  mountains,  hills  and  dales  was  an  ex- 
perience never  to  be  forgotten.  Slowly,  step  by  step  we 
wound  around  the  mountain  trail.  These  burros  had  gone 
the  road  so  many  years  that  their  tiny  hoofs  had  worn 
places  in  the  rocks.  All  we  had  to  do  was  to  sit  tight 
in  the  saddle  as  we  ascended  or  descended  the  steep 
places.  The  pummel  of  the  saddle  was  high  and  we  held 
on  to  that,  and  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  the  situation.  Once 
or  twice  we  merged  into  a  plain  of  a  mile  or  so,  then 
began  the  rocky  ascent.  We  refreshed  ourselves  from  time 
to  time  at  cooling  springs  that  dripped  out  from  the  rocks 
into  a  rustic  stone  basin.  The  scenery  was  very  attractive, 
but  it  became  monotonous  as  we  sat  in  our  saddles  while 
the  burros,  step  by  step,  ascended  or  descended  the  path 
they  had  traversed  so  often.  Toward  night  the  mountains 
became  more  like  rolling  hills  and  there  was  more  open 
space  and  sky  to  be  seen.  By  the  time  darkness  overtook 
us  we  were  near  the  outskirts  of  Panama  and  hoped  soon 
to  see  the  lights  of  the  city.  About  nine  o'clock  we 
stopped  before  an  adobe  building,  long  and  wide,  two 
stories  high,  with  a  large  enclosed  place  for  the  burros. 
This  was  also  under  the  steamship  company's  control. 
This  time  the  proprietor  was  a  white  man  and  we  were 
able  to  obtain  desirable  beds  and  comfortable  fare.  He 
gave  us  the  best  rooms,  large  and  clean,  more  homelike 
than  anything  we  had  seen  since  leaving  home.  We  were 
so  weary  it  was  with  difficulty  we  got  off  the  burros, 
having  ridden  all  day  long.  I  could  hardly  feel  the  earth 
under  me  and  I  staggered  many  times  before  we  were 
comfortable  in  our  rooms.  After  resting  for  an  hour  we 

20 


STEAMER  "AMERICAN  EAGLE,"  SACRAMENTO  RIVER,  1852 

HOME  OF  REV.  DR.  AND  MRS.  HENRY  KROH,  STOCKTON 
Built  in  1853.     Still  standing  and  occupied.      Its  material  came  around  the  Horn. 


were  summoned  to  supper.  It  was  now  ten  o'clock.  Late 
as  it  was,  we  found  the  supper  so  appetizing  we  forgot 
the  hour  and  really  enjoyed  the  first  good  meal  in  the 
ten  days  we  were  on  the  way.  The  host  and  his  good 
wife  saw  that  everybody  was  made  comfortable  during  the 
time  we  remained  there.  The  steamer  Tennessee  had 
arrived  two  days  before  and  had  all  the  cargo  in  and 
fruits  and  fresh  vegetables  on  board,  so  we  were  able  to 
sail  the  next  afternoon  at  three  o'clock. 

It  was  almost  five  when  the  signal  was  given  for  "all 
ashore,"  and  in  an  hour  we  were  steaming  along  the  coast 
and  out  of  sight  of  Panama.  The  sea  was  calm  and  the 
steamer  was  steady  and  I  supposed  I  would  fare  better 
than  I  had  during  the  first  part  of  the  trip.  But  as  soon 
as  I  smelled  the  smoke  from  the  stacks  and  the  odor  of 
the  cooking  food,  I  was  as  miserable  as  before.  The  rest 
of  the  family  fared  better  and  were  able  to  go  to  the 
table  when  the  sea  was  calm.  There  were  about  fifty 
cabin  passengers,  and  during  this  voyage  we  made  several 
lifelong  friends  of  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  who 
came  here  to  make  their  fortunes.  We  received  the  most 
courteous  treatment  from  every  one.  It  was  like  one  large 
family.  Captain  Totten  and  First  Officer  A.  J.  Clifton 
were  like  fathers  to  us.  Mr.  Clifton  claimed  me,  as  I 
was  the  age  of  his  daughter  left  at  home,  and  I  used  to 
sing  for  him  and  then  I  was  his  "Nightingale."  We  had 
learned  a  song  to  sing  for  our  father  when  we  expected 
him  home,  and  as  he  did  not  come  we  related  the  incident 
to  the  captain  and  Mr.  Clifton  and  our  friends  on  board, 
and  nothing  must  do  until  we  sang  it  for  all  on  board. 
It  was  on  a  moonlight  night  and  we  were  going  smoothly, 
consequently  I  was  not  ill,  and  Captain  Totten  proposed 
that  we  should  sing  the  song.  Everybody  was  on  deck 
enjoying  the  delightful  evening.  Everything  was  still; 
only  the  puffing  of  the  smokestack  and  the  plash  of  the 
wheel  were  heard.  We  all  clustered  around  mother  and 
began  our  song. 

"Home  again,  home  again  from  a  foreign  shore, 

And  O!  it  fills  my  soul  with  joy  to  meet  my  friends  once 

more. 
Here  we  dropped  the  parting  tear  to  cross  the   ocean's 

foam, 
But  now  we're  once  again  with  those  who  kindly  greet 

me  home. 
Home   again,  home  again,"  etc." 

21 


Mother,  Emma  and  Sarah  sang  the  soprano;  Mary, 
Margaret  and  Lauretta  sang  the  alto.  Mary's  voice  being 
a  deep  contralto,  she  improvised  the  third  part.  The 
plaintive  song,  with  the  sentiment  of  home  surroundings, 
touched  the  hearts  of  all  the  passengers  and  turned  their 
thoughts  homewards,  and  many  an  eye  glistened  with 
tears. 

After  the  first  night  of  song  there  never  was  an  even- 
ing that  there  was  not  singing  of  some  kind.  Sister  found 
some  good  voices  among  the  men  and  we  formed  a  chorus. 
In  a  short  time  we  were  without  an  audience,  for  every- 
body gradually  found  he  had  a  note  or  two  to  use,  and 
whenever  it  was  good  sailing  we  sang.  We  had  two  severe 
storms  when  I,  for  one,  was  not  visible  on  any  occasion. 
I  must  confess  the  sea  and  I  are  not  at  all  friends.  We 
had  one  storm  passing  the  bay  of  Tehuantepec.  The 
steamer  rolled  and  the  sea  dashed  high  for  two  days,  but 
the  boat  was  faithful  to  her  trust  and  we  safely  steamed 
into  the  beautiful  bay  at  Acapulco  the  last  of  the  week. 
I  had  been  ill  all  the  way,  going  without  food,  and  when 
we  arrived  Captain  Totten  said  I  should  have  one  fine 
dinner.  After  the  passengers  had  gone  ashore  we  were  taken 
off  in  the  captain's  boat  and  had  our  dinner  at  the  hotel 
where  the  captain  had  ordered  it  in  advance.  We  remained 
on  shore  all  day  visiting  this  Spanish  town  while  the 
steamer  was  loading  food  and  coal.  We  visited  some 
Spanish  homes  where  the  captain  had  friends,  and  we 
were  entertained  by  these  Castilian  ladies,  who  sang  their 
songs  to  us.  In  return  we  sang  for  them  and  they  appre- 
ciated our  music.  About  three  o'clock  we  said  good-bye 
and  they  gave  us  beautiful  mementos  of  shell  flowers,  nuts 
and  fruits  and  accompanied  us  to  the  boat  with  their 
servants  to  carry  our  gifts  for  us.  Such  a  beautiful  day 
of  happenings  and  surprises  for  us  who  had  never  seen 
people  of  this  kind  before  left  lasting  impressions  in  my 
heart  of  courtesy  and  kindness. 

By  nine  in  the  evening  we  had  left  the  bay  and  our 
newly  made  friends  far  behind  and  we  were  steaming 
toward  California  as  fast  as  the  steamer  could  carry  us. 
We  had  come  nearly  half  the  way  and  were  nearing  Lower 
California  when  we  encountered  rough  weather  off  Cape 
Lucas.  Oh,  how  "the  ship  tossed  and  rolled.  I  thought 
morning  never  would  dawn.  The  wind  was  against  us. 
The  masts  strained  and  creaked.  I  really  feared  we  would 
not  reach  California.  The  sea  was  rough  nearly  all  the 
time  until  we  passed  Santa  Barbara,  when  it  became  calm 
and  we  could  once  more  feel  that  we  might  reach  our 

22 


destination.  We  had  been  now  three  weeks  on  the  way 
and  we  were  longing  for  sight  of  land.  We  strained  our 
eyes  daily,  hoping  to  see  the  hills,  but  not  until  we  had 
come  within  two  days  of  the  Golden  Gate  did  we  see  any 
sign  of  land.  Fog  and  distance  prevented  our  distinguish- 
ing anything  but  an  outline  of  the  shore,  but  as  the  fog 
lifted  we  saw  more  distinctly  the  hills,  and  each  hour 
brought  us  nearer  to  the  long-looked-for  harbor  within  the 
Golden  Gate.  And  yet  we  saw  no  city,  only  sand  hills. 
We  steamed  past  Telegraph  Hill,  then  we  began  to 
see  here  and  there  low  wooden  buildings  and  tents  and 
shacks.  Was  this  then  San  Francisco?  Oh,  how  disap- 
pointed we  were;  there  was  no  place  to  go.  We  remained 
on  board  until  the  Stockton  steamer  arrived.  There  was 
no  accommodation  for  women  anywhere.  The  steamer, 
American  Eagle,  came  in  about  1  o'clock,  and  our  things 
were  transferred  on  board,  and  Captain  Totten  cared  for 
us  as  though  we  were  his  family  and  had  everything 
arranged  as  far  as  possible  for  our  comfort.  He  explained 
to  the  river  captain  that  we  were  to  be  met  in  Stockton 
by  father.  But  the  captain  also  had  instructions  from 
Rev.  J.  H.  Woods  not  to  expect  father,  who  had  been  ill 
in  the  mines,  but  we  were  to  go  to  his  home  until  father 
could  arrive  from  Scorpion  Gulch,  where  he  and  brother 
had  a  store,  and  it  was  slow  travel  with  the  six-mule 
"schooner,"  over  hills  and  dusty  roads  to  Stockton. 

It  was  quite  a  change  from  the  great  steamer  Ten- 
nessee to  the  little  stern-wheel  boat  as  it  slowly  puffed 
across  the  bay  through  Carquinez  straits  and  up  the  slough, 
turning  and  winding  along,  sometimes  being  caught  by 
a  sharp  turn  in  the  stream  and  one  or  two  stops  on  the 
sand  bars  if  the  water  was  too  low.  We  did  not  sleep 
much  because  everything  was  so  strange  and  small.  We 
were  always  in  fear  of  some  accident.  The  hours  dragged 
slowly  until  morning,  when  the  boat  came  to  a  stop  about 
seven  o'clock.  At  eight  o'clock  the  small  cannon  was  fired, 
informing  the  people  that  the  steamer  had  arrived. 
The  captain  came  about  nine  o'clock  for  us  and  we  break- 
fasted with  him  and  the  officers.  We  were  the  only  female 
passengers,  as  we  had  parted  with  the  other  friends  at  San 
Francisco,  they  having  gone  to  Sacramento  and  Marys- 
ville,  with  their  husbands,  to  the  mines.  It  was  like  the 
parting  of  a  large  family.  We  had  been  together  two 
long  months,  sharing  the  changes  and  rough  traveling  and 
the  happy  evenings  on  board  where  the  genial  officers  did 
all  they  could  to  make  the  voyage  comfortable  with  the 
means  they  possessed.  Before  we  came  only  men  traveled 

23 


and  they  put  up  with  any  inconvenience  to  get  to  the  gold 
fields.  About  ten  o'clock  our  friend,  Rev.  Mr.  Woods,  met  us 
and  gave  us  the  message  sent  by  father,  so  it  was  arranged 
we  should  go  to  the  reverend  gentleman's  home  and  await 
his  and  brother  George's  coming.  Mrs.  Woods  was  a 
Southern  lady,  from  Alabama,  and  met  us  with  warm  hos- 
pitality. She  was  glad  to  see  us,  being  the  only  white 
woman  in  Stockton  at  the  time.  And  •  we  were  glad  to 
meet  another  woman.  These  good  people  had  several  boys 
but  no  girls.  We  were  seven  girls  and  one  boy.  As 
ministers'  families,  we  had  much  in  common.  The  Woods' 
cottage  was  pretty  well  crowded,  but  we  managed  well, 
as  every  one  was  able  to  be  a  help  instead  of  a  burden. 
A  tent  was  put  up  in  the  lot  and  bunks  were  soon  made, 
and  we  put  the  men  in  the  tents  and  the  women  and  chil- 
dren indoors.  We  were  not  yet  acclimated  and  suffered 
with  colds  for  several  weeks. 

We  patiently  awaited  father's  return,  but  three  whole 
weeks  passed  before  the  meeting  was  granted  us.  We 
were  sitting  in  front  of  the  cottage,  chatting  and  sewing, 
when  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  saw  several 
men  approaching  and,  as  we  observed  them,  my  quick  eye 
recognized  father.  With  one  spring  from  the  porch  I 
cried,  "Father,"  and  as  fleet  as  a  rabbit  I  was  off  before 
any  one  realized  what  was  the  cause  of  my  sudden  exit. 
They  watched  my  flying  feet  and  by  the  time  they  realized 
what  I  was  doing  I  was  in  the  arms  of  the  dear  old  daddy, 
coming  slowly  with  Mr.  Woods,  brother  George  and  two 
friends.  It  was  our  habit,  as  children,  to  always  meet 
father  when  he  came  home  at  night,  and  when  we  all 
ran  to  meet  him  the  youngest  always  received  the  first 
attention,  being  taken  in  his  arms,  and  the  others  clung 
to  his  coat  and  skipped  alongside,  chatting  as  fast  as  we 
could  until  we  entered  the  house.  Words  cannot  express 
the  joy  of  the  meeting  after  more  than  two  years'  separa- 
tion. When  mother  realized  that  father  had  come  at  last 
she  was  like  one  dazed  and  could  not  move.  The  children 
in  their  happiness  were  surrounding  the  long  lost  wan- 
derers. At  last  father  spoke,  with  tears  of  gladness  in  his 
eyes,  "Where  is  Mary,  your  mother,  my  children?"  We 
had  monopolized  his  attention  and  poor  mother  was  neg- 
lected for  the  moment.  As  soon  as  we  had  realized  the 
oversight  sister  Mary  beckoned  us  all  away  and  we 
gradually  disappeared  and  left  the  two  to  enjoy  their 
happy  reunion.  After  a  half  hour  had  passed,  and  while 

24 


they  were  softly  conversing,  we  gathered  in  the  main  room 
and,  clustering  around  sister  Mary,  we  began  the  song — 

"Home  again,  home  again  from  a  foreign  shore, 
And  oh  it  fills  my  soul  with  joy  to  meet  my  friends  once 
more." 

Rev.  Mr.  Woods  and  family  were  more  than  surprised  to 
find  such  voices  among  us,  and  their  appreciation  was  so 
genuine  we  gave  them  one  of  our  dear  old  German  hymns, 
a  favorite  of  father's  also. 


First  Presbyterian  Church,  Washington  itreet,  Stockton,  California,  built  in 

1849,  the  first  Protestant  church  in  California.     Mrs.  Blake- Alverson,  as  Miss 

Kroh,  was  contralto  of  the  first  choir,  organized  in  1852. 

The  singing  seemed  to  give  new  life  to  his  long 
struggle  in  the  ministry.  His  was  the  only  church  in 
Stockton  at  that  time,  besides  a  Catholic  church,  and  it 
was  uphill  work  to  get  the  men  to  come  to  service.  A 
new  thought  came  to  him  that  perhaps  music  in  the  church 
might  be  an  incentive  for  men  to  forsake  one  day  thinking 
of  gold.  So  the  choir  was  established  and  a  large  melodeon 
was  secured  from  San  Francisco  from  one  of  the  music 
stores  which  had  been  established.  Joseph  Atwill  began 
the  music  business  on  Washington  street  in  1850,  just  one 
year  before  we  arrived  in  November,  1851.  It  was  soon 
noised  about  that  the  family  of  Rev.  H.  Kroh  were  singers 
and  that  by  the  first  of  the  month  there  would  be  a  choir 

25 


in  the  Presbyterian  church.  A  melodeon  was  to  be  pur- 
chased. Miss  M.  Kroh  was  to  play  the  organ  and  direct 
the  music  and  the  sisters  were  to  sing.  During  the  time 
the  melodeon  was  on  the  way  we  had  become  acquainted 
with  William  Trembly,  a  fine  tenor;  James  Holmes,  bass; 
William  Cobb,  tenor;  Will  Belding,  bass;  Samuel  Grove, 
tenor;  and  William  H.  Knight,  bass. 

Father  had  returned  to  take  charge  of  his  store  and 
we  had  moved  into  the  only  house  to  be  found,  a  story 
and  a  half  high  with  eight  rooms  and  a  canvas  kitchen. 
We  would  call  it  a  barn  today,  but  we  thought  it  a  palace. 
It  was  originally  built  for  a  small  hotel,  cloth  and  paper 
on  the  walls  and  ceiling,  roughened  wood  floors,  every- 


Pionecr  home  of  the  family  of  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Kroh,  the  father  of  Margaret 
Blake- Alverson,  Stockton,  California,  December,  1851. 

thing  of  the  most  primitive  make.  The  rent  of  it  was  $80 
a  month  and  it  cost  $1,100  to  furnish  it.  We  had  matting 
for  carpets,  the  most  common  kitchen  chairs  in  the  best 
room,  kitchen  table  for  a  center  table,  and  our  dining  table 
was  made  of  two  long  redwood  boards  joined  together  and 
placed  on  four  saw  horses.  Having  had  so  much  to  do 
in  making  the  best  out  of  nothing  in  the  many  places 
before,  we  had  not  lost  the  art  of  arranging  the  furnish- 
ings of  this  house.  Fortunately  we  did  not  sacrifice  all  of 
our  bedding,  linens  and  quilts.  We  were  allowed  them  in 
the  freight.  The  stores  kept  nothing  but  the  brightest 
colored  prints  and  some  bright  damasks  for  the  use  of  the 
Indians  who  came  down  from  the  mountains  and  traded 
for  such  things.  We  could  get  white  cotton  cloth,  so  we 
were  able  to  have  curtains  at  the  windows  combined  with 

26 


red  damask.  We  covered  boxes  with  the  same  damask, 
and  with  castors  screwed  on  the  corners  we  had  some  very 
comfortable  stools.  Then  a  square  of  damask  was  properly 
finished  off  and  made  a  table  cover  for  the  center  table. 
When  all  was  done  we  began  to  feel  we  were  once  more 
at  home.  There  was  yet  something  lacking.  We  had  no 
piano  and  we  were  lost  without  the  usual  music  that  made 
our  home  so  happy.  Dear  sister  Mary,  how  we  all  pitied 
her.  We  knew  she  was  suffering  daily  from  homesickness, 
the  separation  from  her  sweetheart,  the  loss  of  her  organ 
and  piano  and  no  companionship  with  musical  people. 
Although  she  never  murmured,  we  could  see  that  her  mind 
was  where  her  heart  was.  But  her  duty  was  here.  She 
was  bravely  battling  day  by  day.  We  all  saw  it  and  hoped 
against  hope  to  change  the  condition. 

Finally  the  choir  had  been  formed  and  the  melodeon 
came.  That  was  soon  compensation  for  her  loss.  So  the 
rehearsals  began,  and  on  the  first  Sunday  of  the  month  we 
gave  the  first  service.  We  had  anthems  from  the  old 
Carmina  Sacra  and  familiar  hymns  and  our  new  found 
friends  all  joined  the  choir.  It  was  a  great  service.  It 
seemed  that  everybody  from  the  pastor  to  the  choir  was 
inspired.  Such  an  outpouring  of  men !  Mother  and  Mrs. 
Woods  in  the  congregation  and  five  of  us  in  the  choir 
composed  all  the  female  portion  of  the  congregation.  The 
rest  consisted  of  men  of  mature  years  and  young  men 
away  from  home  and  entering  a  church  for  the  first  time 
perhaps  in  this  new  country.  When  the  hour  arrived  for 
service  the  church  could  hold  no  more.  Those  who  could 
not  enter  stood  outside  the  door  during  the  whole  service. 
The  evening  service  was  a  repetition,  and  those  who  could 
not  get  into  the  church  obtained  boxes  and  laid  boards 
upon  them  and  kneeled  before  the  windows  which  were 
opened  so  they  could  hear  the  sermon  and  the  singing. 
It  was  a  strange  sight  for  the  men  to  see  women  and 
especially  young  girls.  The  miners  would  come  to  Stock- 
ton on  Saturday  to  frequent  the  resorts.  Drinking  and 
card  playing  formed  their  diversions.  Many  a  young  man 
turned  away  from  the  gaming  table  to  listen  to  the  music 
and  hear  the  sermon. 

We  arrived  in  Stockton  the  latter  part  of  November, 
1851,  and  remained  with  Rev.  James  Woods  until  we 
obtained  this  house,  where  we  remained  two  years.  Dur- 
ing that  time  we  had  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the  fore- 
most merchants,  bankers  and  professional  men.  The  first 
Thanksgiving  we  invited  the  following  gentlemen  to  din- 
ner: William  H.  Knight,  Samuel  Grove,  William  Belding, 

27 


William  Gray,  Austin  Sperry,  Frederick  Lux,  C.  V.  Pay- 
ton,  James  Harrold,  William  Trembly,  David  Trembly, 
James  Holmes,  Thomas  Mosely,  Charles  Deering,  Gilbert 
Claiborne,  Mr.  Shoenewasser,  Mr.  Thompson,  B.  W. 
Bours,  Charles  Woodman,  William  Cobb  and  Charles 
Greenly.  Brother  George  still  had  his  team  of  mules 
and  the  large  schooner  and  made  his  regular  trips 
from  Scorpion  Gulch  with  his  friend,  Fred  Lux,  who  also 
was  engaged  in  the  same  business.  On  their  way  down 
for  this  occasion  they  killed  enough  wild  game  to  serve 
bountifully  the  needs  for  this  first  Thanksgiving  dinner, 
as  the  usual  turkey  was  not  to  be  obtained.  Wild  geese, 
rabbits  and  squirrels  were  plentiful  and  our  hearts  were 
gladdened  to  see  such  a  display.  How  we  worked  and  baked 
and  planned!  By  many  willing  hands  the  dinner  was  pre- 
pared and  the  guests  began  to  arrive.  Including  our 
family,  there  were  thirty  in  all.  Our  home  had  but  two 
rooms  on  the  first  floor.  A  large  parlor,  hall  and  stairway 
faced  upon  the  main  street,  and  the  dining  room  led  out 
from  the  hall  and  was  large  enough  to  seat  many  guests. 
The  kitchen  was  made  of  canvas  and  led  into  the  dining 
room.  There  were  three  fine  windows  in  the  dining  room, 
so  it  made  a  pleasant  and  cheerful  place.  Although  every- 
thing was  of  the  plainest  sort,  the  long  table  with  the 
white  cloth  and  greens  from  the  pine  trees  the  boys  had 
cut  as  they  came  along,  and  the  wild  flowers  we  had  gath- 
ered and  placed  in  bowls  to  grace  the  tables  with  the 
greens  which  were  arranged  tastefully  in  wreaths  and  fes- 
toons, gave  a  homelike  welcome  to  these  men  who  for 
months  had  not  eaten  a  home  dinner  or  enjoyed  the  society 
of  women.  As  the  darkness  came  on,  we  lit  up  the  room 
with  candles,  having  no  other  lights.  We  had  not  for- 
gotten to  bring  our  brass  candlesticks  among  our  house- 
hold effects.  Mother  could  not  part  with  them,  so  they 
were  carefully  packed  among  our  clothing  in  the  trunks 
and  served  us  beautifully  on  this  occasion.  They  got  an 
extra  polish  of  whiting  from  sister  and  me,  who  were  the 
decorators  on  this  occasion,  and  we  had  to  attend  to  the 
tables  while  mother  and  the  older  sisters  made  the  cakes, 
pies  and  prepared  the  roasts  and  meat  pies  and  other 
necessary  additions  for  a  dinner  of  this  kind.  Father, 
mother  and  the  older  sisters  sat  with  the  guests,  and  sister 
Sarah  and  I  waited  upon  the  table.  As  young  as  I  was, 
the  impression  was  a  lasting  one.  Some  of  the  gentlemen 
looked  sad,  some  dignified,  others  joked  and  others  related 
stories  of  home  and  their  experiences  in  different  places  in 

28 


Richard  Condy  Mrs.  Anna  Bowden-Shattuck  Mr.  Schnable 

Judge  H.  B.  Underbill  Lizzie  Fisher  Ellen  Lloyd 

Mary  Jane  Lloyd  Carrie  Heineman  Mrs.  Taylor 

ASSOCIATED   MUSICIANS  AND  SINGERS 
1853  to  1879 


California  until  the  dinner  was  over  and  we  adjourned  to 
the  parlor. 

The  dinner  made  such  an  impression  that  before  the 
guests  departed  they  had  it  all  arranged  that  we  were  to 
take  them  ah  as  boarders.  After  such  a  feast  of  things 
they  had  longed  for  so  many  months,  they  were  not  willing 
to  go  back  to  the  old  way  of  batching  it,  as  they  termed 
it.  We  were  young  and  used  to  housework  and  we  wanted 
a  home  of  our  own  some  day.  Father  consulted  us  and 
we  agreed  that  on  the  following  Monday  they  might  begin 
to  come.  We  were  assigned  our  parts,  and  for  two  years 
we  worked  until  we  were  able  to  secure  our  own  house, 
which  stands  today  in  Stockton  as  one  of  the  earlier  homes 
and  our  homestead.  While  in  this  house  there  were  times 
when  we  still  longed  for  home  and  the  old  surroundings. 
Sister  Mary  wanted  her  instrument  which  she  supposed 
she  would  never  have  again.  Our  friends,  knowing 
this,  quietly  consulted  father  in  regard  to  securing  a  piano 
as  a  birthday,  offering.  But  as  Christmas  Day  was  the 
date  of  her  birth,  it  was  too  late  for  the  year  1851.  We 
had  already  entered  upon  the  year  1852,  and  it  would  take 
almost  a  year  to  get  a  piano  here,  as  Mr.  Atwill  had  not 
imported  any  instruments  as  yet.  Our  friends  were  good 
business  men  and  they  immediately  set  about  to  learn  if 
a  piano  could  not  be  obtained.  All  this  was  unknown  to 
any  of  us  but  father.  William  Trembly  and  James 
Harrold,  while  in  San  Francisco,  inquired  at  the  different 
musical  stores  as  to  arrangements  to  obtain  a  piano.  Kohler 
&  Chase  did  not  import  at  that  time.  They  dealt  in  notions, 
fancy  goods  and  toys.  They  were  not  wholly  in  the  music 
business  until  later  in  the  sixties.  Mr.  Atwill  was  at  the 
time  on  Washington  street.  He  did  not  import  largely, 
and  when  Messrs.  Trembley  and  Harrold  came  to  him 
he  gladly  entered  into  the  plan  to  get  a  fine  Chickering 
here  by  December  25th  of  1852.  The  cost  was  to  be 
$1,200,  delivered  in  good  order.  The  piano  order  was 
given,  and  how  it  came  to  California,  whether  by  steamer 
or  around  the  Horn,  I  am  not  able  to  say. 

All  through  the  year  we  worked  early  and  late,  and  our 
boarders  had  increased  until  they  numbered  thirty-five.  We 
could  not  accommodate  any  more.  There  were  no  amuse- 
ments of  any  kind.  We  occasionally  had  a  moonlight  ride 
as  far  as  I.  D.  Staple's  ranch,  where  we  were  entertained 
for  an  hour  or  so,  then  we  returned.  Our  rehearsals  went 
on  each  week.  New  people  were  coming  all  the  time.  Mr. 
Grove's  sisters  arrived,  which  was  another  addition  to  our 
society.  Mrs.  George  Sanderson  and  Mrs.  John  Millar 

29 


came  to  join  their  husbands,  who  were  the  prominent  men 
in  business.  Father  had  secured  a  lot  and  our  home  was 
being  built,  at  which  we  rejoiced  greatly,  for  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  work  for  so  many  people,  and  the  lack  of  necessary 
household  conveniences  and  of  proper  kitchen  utensils  were 
a  great  detriment.  Nothing  especially  transpired  during 
these  months.  We  kept  busily  at  our  work  until  the  season 
for  rain  was  approaching.  Several  rough  houses  were 
built  opposite,  on  the  corner  a  saloon,  which  was  an  eye- 
sore to  us  for  it  was  a  busy  place  where  men  drank  and 
sometimes  fought  with  knives.  Next  to  our  house  was  a 
one-story  cottage  where  the  family  of  Louis  Millar 
lived,  and  a  fandango  house  next  door  where  they  danced 
and  played  their  guitars.  We  lived  on  the  corner  and 
fortunately  had  a  sidewalk  on  two  sides  of  the  house,  but 
the  streets  were  not  made  and  the  mud  and  slush  was 
dreadful.  Men  crossed  the  streets  in  high  rubber  leggings. 
We  never  pretended  to  go  in  the  street  at  this  time,  every- 
thing being  brought  to  us.  We  were  almost  as  closely 
confined  as  prisoners.  There  was  no  drainage,  conse- 
quently the  mud  remained  in  the  streets  for  weeks  while 
the  rains  lasted. 

December  was  approaching  and  of  course  our  thoughts 
turned  towards  Christmas  and  preparations  for  its  festivi- 
ties. Everybody  was  busy.  We  had  much  to  do,  for  all 
these  men  were  still  with  us.  There  was  mince  meat  to 
make,  raisins  to  seed,  cakes  and  pies  to  bake.  Everything 
we  used  came  in  bottles  and  cans.  There  were  no  fresh 
vegetables  of  any  kind,  excepting  onions  and  potatoes. 
It  was  wonderful  how  we  managed  during  all  this  time 
under  the  most  trying  difficulties,  and  yet  prepared  meals 
in  such  a  way  that  our  large  family  was  always  thor- 
oughly satisfied.  Sometimes  we  could  get  bananas  from 
Mexico,  cocoanuts  and  oranges,  but  not  very  often.  Christ- 
mas eve  came  at  last  and  such  a  busy  place,  no  idle 
hands  these  days.  Brother  George  and  Mr.  Lux  brought 
with  them  two  large  sacks  of  the  finest  English  walnuts. 
They  were  a  windfall  to  us.  We  never  had  seen  so 
many  before.  We  were  used  to  black  walnuts,  filberts  and 
other  nuts  at  home.  This  was  the  beginning  of  all  that 
came  to  us  this  Christmas.  It  seemed  that  each  one  tried 
to  get  something  we  had  not  had  before.  Christmas  came 
clear  and  bright,  but  mud  was  everywhere.  Rubber  boots 
were  indispensable  this  Christmas.  Dinner  was  served  about 
1 :30  o'clock  and  everybody  seemed  to  be  in  the  happiest 
mood.  It  was  sister  Mary's  birthday  and  we  were  espe- 
cially attentive  to  her. 

30 


The  dinner  was  over  and  the  dessert  was  almost 
finished  when  a  rap  on  the  front  door  sounded  loud  and 
rough.  Father  asked  Mary  to  go  to  the  door  as  she  was 
nearest.  She  obeyed  and,  when  she  had  answered  the 
knock,  a  teamster  handed  her  a  letter  and  asked  if  Miss 
Mary  Kroh  lived  here.  She  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and 
taking  the  letter  she  glanced  out  of  the  door  and  saw  a 
heavy  truck  with  an  immense  box  or  case  on  it.  She  said, 
"You  must  be  mistaken."  He  said,  "Are  you  not  Miss 
Kroh?  This  is  for  her."  By  this  time  we  were  getting 
excited  and  with  one  accord  the  guests  arose  to  see  the 
result.  Father  became  uneasy  at  her  long  silence  and  came 
out  in  time  to  see  her  reel  against  the  railing  of  the  stairs. 
She  had  read  the  note  and  realized  that  her  great  desire 
had  at  last  become  a  reality  and  her  birthday  had  brought 
her  the  long-wished-for  piano.  This  is  what  she  read  in 
the  note: 

"A  merry  Christmas  and  a  happy  birthday  for  Miss 
Mary  Matilda  Kroh,  from  her  father  and  many  friends 
who  have  appreciated  her  noble  sacrifice  of  the  musical 
environment  of  her  Eastern  home.  This  instrument  is  given 
as  a  partial  compensation  for  her  cheerful  and  noble  per- 
formance of  her  duty  to  her  parents  and  as  full  apprecia- 
tion. James  Harrold,  C.  V.  Payton,  Charles  Greenly,  David 
Trembly,  William  Cobb,  Charles  Deering,  Gilbert  Clai- 
borne,  William  H.  Knight,  Samuel  Grove,  A.  M.  Thomp- 
son, William  Gray,  Thomas  Mosely,  William  A.  Trembly, 
Henry  Kroh,  James  Holmes,  Henry  Noel,  Austin  Sperry, 
George  H.  Blake." 

When  the  secret  was  out,  all  was  excitement.  Sister 
made  her  exit  upstairs  and  the  men  took  off  their  coats 
and  helped  with  a  will.  Soon  the  beautiful  instrument 
was  out  of  the  box  and  placed  in  the  parlor.  What  a 
rejoicing  there  was !  Father  gave  orders  that  Mary  must 
play  the  first  air,  and  we  awaited  her  coming,  but  she  had 
not  been  able  to  control  herself  to  meet  the  friends  and 
see  the  most  magnificent  gift  she  ever  received.  Sister 
Sarah  was  dispatched  to  bring  her  down  stairs.  She  found 
her  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  After  much  persuasion  she 
came  down  and  father  met  her  and  led  her  to  the  instru- 
ment. She  stood  for  a  moment  unable  to  proceed.  Seat- 
ing herself  upon  the  stool,  she  began  to  play  the  Dox- 
ology,  but  her  head  sank  upon  the  piano.  Then  the  tears 
gushed  forth,  the  spell  was  broken  and  after  a  short  time 
she  was  able  to  proceed.  It  was  now  about  the  hour  of 
seven,  darkness  had  crept  on  and  the  curtains  were  closed 
and  the  lights  lit.  We  all  became  more  composed,  music 

31 


was  brought  out,  songs  were  sung  and  it  was  like  a  new 
world  to  us,  such  unexpected  happiness  in  a  far-off  city 
of  the  Golden  West.  Father  had  occasion  to  answer  a 
call  at  the  front  door  and  before  closing  he  accidentally 
looked  out,  and  to  his  surprise  the  sidewalks  and  porch 
were  filled  with  old  and  young  men.  Along  the  side  of 
the  house  stood  scores  of  men  in  the  street  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see  and  some  were  sobbing.  On  entering  the 
room  he  said,  "We  have  an  immense  congregation  outside. 
Get  out  your  familiar  tunes — 'Home,  sweet  home/  etc." 
He  then  drew  aside  the  curtains  and  raised  the  windows, 
"Now,  my  children  and  friends,  give  these  homesick  sons 
and  fathers  a  few  songs  more  before  we  assemble  for  the 
evening  worship."  We  sang  until  the  hour  of  nine  and 
closed  with  the  Doxology.  Once  more  father  went  on  the 
porch  and  thanked  the  people  for  their  appreciation  of  the 
music  and  dismissed  them  with  the  benediction.  We  closed 
the  windows  and  curtains  and  remained  with  our  friends 
a  short  time,  when  they  departed  fully  assured  that  they 
had  brought  happiness  to  many  souls  by  their  magnificent 
gift  to  one  who  was  worthy  to  receive  it,  my  sainted  sister, 
Mary  Matilda  Kroh. 

This  is  the  story  of  the  first  piano  in  Stockton,  given 
to  sister,  December  25,  1852.  This  night  was  not  the  only 
night  when  men  assembled  on  our  porch  to  hear  the  music. 
Later  on  a  number  of  men  accosted  father  and  told  him 
that  the  music  on  the  first  night  we  received  the  piano 
had  so  vividly  brought  back  home  surroundings  and 
memories  of  father  and  mother,  that  it  was  the  turning 
point  in  the  path  from  which  they  had  strayed  and  caused 
them  to  see  the  error  of  their  ways  and  to  come  back. 
Such  is  the  influence  of  song  upon  the  young  and  the  old. 
Anyone  who  has  no  appreciation  of  music  in  his  soul 
is  an  unhappy  man  or  woman  indeed.  Music  is  one  of 
the  most  refining  factors  among  young  men  and  women. 
They  are  always  the  happiest  where  there  is  music,  no 
matter  what  other  entertainment  has  been  enjoyed. 


32 


Austin  Sperry  Win.  H.  Knight 

Geo.  Henry  Sanderson 


Jas.  Harrold 

BUSINESS  MEN  OF  STOCKTON,   1852 


CHAPTER  THREE 


STOCKTON   IN  THE  FIFTIES.      BENICIA  SEMINARY.    GENESIS  OF 
MILLS  COLLEGE.     DISTINGUISHED  PIONEERS.      MARRIAGE 


FTER  this  memorable  Christmas  our  home  was 
the  center  of  musical  gatherings  and  the  new 
arrivals  to  Stockton  came  into  our  large  family 
of  young  ladies.  We  were  universally  sought, 
and  our  musical  entertainments  charmed  young 
and  old.  Into  our  neighborhood  there  came  a  Castilian 
family  from  Mexico,  the  Ainsa  family,  four  or  five  young 
ladies  and  a  son.  These  young  ladies  had  a  musical  edu- 
cation of  the  highest  order.  Opera  music  was  their  chief 
delight.  Mass  music  and  all  classics  were  also  included  in 
their  repertoire.  A  mutual  friendship  was  formed.  They 
could  not  speak  English  and  we  could  not  speak  Spanish. 
Their  voices  had  been  thoroughly  trained  and  we  spent 
many  hours  in  their  society.  Very  soon  we  learned  to  speak 
Spanish  and  their  visits  were  still  more  pleasant.  They 
were  devout  Catholics  and  in  the  mother's  room  was  a 
sanctuary.  She  was  helpless  and  unable  to  walk.  She 
sat  in  her  bed  and  ordered  everything  pertaining  to 
the  household.  An  altar  was  arranged  in  the  room 
and  they  had  worship  every  morning  and  evening. 
Sometimes  we  would  join  them  and  sing  the  songs  of 
their  church.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  the  devotion  of  these 
girls  to  their  parents.  We  soon  learned  the  vespers  and 
masses  and  often  sang  together  for  the  mother  when  it 
was  devotion  hour  and  the  priest  would  say  mass.  After 
we  moved  from  the  neighborhood  we  did  not  meet  as 
often.  After  several  years  they  married  wealthy  white 
men.  Senator  Crabb  married  one.  Afterwards  he  was 
killed  in  Mexico.  Mr.  Bevan  married  one.  Mr.  Eisen, 
the  flour  man  of  San  Francisco,  another.  Anita  died  and 
Leonora  married  a  wealthy  Frenchman;  later  the  family 
moved  to  San  Francisco.  Miss  Lola  and  Miss  Belana 
sang  in  the  Catholic  churches  there.  Another  addition  to 
the  musical  family  was  Miss  Louisa  Falkenberg,  a  most 
excellent  pianist.  She  afterwards  became  Mrs.  B.  Walker 
Bours.  Her  son  is  also  a  fine  pianist.  He  is  director  of 
the  choir  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent,  East  Oakland,  at 
the  present  time. 

33 


In  the  month  of  March,  1853,  we  moved  into  our  own 
home  on  San  Joaquin  street,  and  most  of  our  large  family 
went  with  us.  Cupid  had  been  playing  pranks  in  the  mean- 
time and,  June  18th,  my  sister  Jane  became  Mrs.  Wm.  H. 
Knight  and  the  first  break  came  in  our  family  circle.  Dur- 
ing the  year  of  1853  it  was  decided  that  I  should  have  an 
opportunity  to  finish  my  education,  having  left  school  at 
fifteen.  The  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Benicia  was 
chosen,  it  being  the  only  school  in  California  where  I 
could  complete  my  studies.  I  was  one  of  thirty-five  pupils 
of  the  second  term  of  the  school's  existence.  Mary  Atkins 
was  the  principal,  one  of  the  best  educators  in  California. 
There  was  also  a  Catholic  school  in  Benicia  at  the  time, 
St.  Catherine's  Convent  for  Young  Ladies,  and  an  Episcopal 
school  for  boys.  The  public  school  of  Stockton  was  for 
the  lower  grades,  and  I  had  had  these  grades  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati schools  and  had  had  one  term  with  my  sister,  Sarah, 
at  Walnut  Hill  Seminary.  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  father, 
Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  was  at  the  head  of  the  seminary  and 
Harriet  Beecher  was  one  of  the  teachers.  My  father  and 
Lyman  Beecher  and  the  members  of  the  Longworth  family, 
who  lived  opposite  the  seminary  and  were  members  of  the 
same  church  and  congregation,  were  old  friends.  When 
father  started  for  California  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
school,  consequently  my  education  was  not  completed. 

During  my  vacation  in  the  year  1854,  October  5th, 
sister  Sarah  became  the  wife  of  James  Harrold,  one  of 
the  firm  of  Harrold,  Randall  &  Co.,  of  Stockton,  and 
moved  to  San  Francisco.  The  first  class  at  Benicia,  of 
which  I  was  a  member,  graduated.  Near  the  close  of  the 
term,  November  7,  1855,  my  sister  Mary  married  David 
W.  Trembly  in  San  Francisco.  They  had  been  married 
but  a  few  months  when  sister  became  afflicted  with  bron- 
chitis, the  climate  being  too  severe  in  San  Francisco  for 
her.  They  came  home,  and  on  November  8th  she  passed 
away.  I  was  sent  for,  but  was  too  late  to  see  her  in  life. 
She  died  while  I  was  on  the  steamer,  American  Eagle, 
hastening  to  her.  This  was  my  first  great  sorrow.  I 
loved  her  to  adoration  and  I  could  not  realize  she  had 
passed  out  of  life.  To  her  I  owe  my  proper  placement 
of  voice  and  art  in  singing.  She  was  ever  watchful  of 
my  progress  from  the  earliest  years  of  my  life  until  the 
end  came.  While  I  have  had  several  other  teachers  in 
voice,  no  one  ever  changed  my  method  of  placement. 

My  first  Italian  teacher  was  Prof.  Paul  Pioda  at 
Benicia  Seminary.  He  always  predicted  my  success  as  a 
singer  and  told  Mrs.  Atkins  that  out  of  all  the  sixty  pupils 

34 


there  was  but  one  singer,  which  was  proven  to  her  in 
after  years  when  I  had  attained  my  reputation.  She  was 
glad  to  engage  my  services  each  yearly  reunion  until  the 
end  of  her  life.  While  I  was  not  her  favorite  pupil, 
strange  to  relate,  I  officiated  as  a  singer  on  four  special 
occasions  of  great  importance  in  her  life  and  death.  The 
Sabbath  she  was  baptized  into  the  faith  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  Rev.  Ingraham  Kip,  D.  D.,  officiating,  I  sang  for 
her  a  special  song  in  the  church  at  Benicia.  When  she 
was  married  to  Judge  Lynch  I  sang  for  her  reception. 
The  song  was  Call  Me  Thine  Own.  When  she  passed 
out  of  life  I  was  called  to  sing  in  the  same  church  where 
she  had  become  a  member,  and  one  year  after,  when  we 
had  her  monument  placed  over  her  grave,  I  stood  on  the 
platform  in  the  Octagon  schoolroom,  where  I  could  look 
out  of  the  window  and  see  the  monument,  and  sang  the 
memorial  song  by  G.  A.  Scott,  There  is  a  pale  bright 
star  in  the  heavens  tonight.  After  this  memorial  I  never 
went  back  to  the  old  seminary  but  once  and  that  was  to 
visit  the  old  spot  where  so  many  memories  clustered.  To 
illustrate  this  visit  I  will  here  insert  a  paper  that  I  read 
before  the  commencement  exercises  at  Mills  College  in 
the  year  May  4,  1901. 

Mills  Seminary  is  the  daughter  of  the  Alma  Mater  at 
Benicia.  At  the  invitation  of  Mrs.  Susan  B.  Mills  the 
alumnae  of  Mrs.  Atkins-Lynch  Seminary  attended  the  com- 
mencement exercises  of  Mills  College  of  May  4,  1901. 

The  paper  was  as  follows: 

"My  Dear  Schoolmates:  We  who  are  still  left  of  the 
pupils  and  graduates  of  the  old  Benicia  Female  Seminary 
are  assembled  here  today  at  the  request  of  our  gracious 
hostess,  Mrs.  Susan  B.  Mills,  to  join  with  her  in  the 
celebration  of  Founder's  Day.  As  the  children  of  the 
pioneer  of  schools  of  California,  it  is  a  befitting  testimonial 
for  us  to  meet  in  this  magnificent  institution  which  is  the 
honored  offspring  of  the  Alma  Mater  established  in  the 
year  1852.  We  are  grateful  for  the  privilege  she  has 
extended  us  to  meet  again  as  school  girls  and  exchange 
greetings  and  talk  over  past  reunions  held  yearly  at 
the  old  school  in  Benicia.  I  have  been  requested  to  say 
a  few  words  in  regard  to  the  school  in  my  time.  As  I 
have  only  my  memory  to  aid  me,  my  remarks  will  consist 
of  a  short  historical  sketch  of  the  early  years  of  the 
seminary  which  I  entered  the  second  term  of  its  existence, 
early  in  the  year  1853.  Miss  Mary  Atkins  was  the  princi- 
pal and  teacher  of  all  the  classes  of  the  school.  The 
number  of  boarders  were  35  or  40,  the  attendance  being 

35 


increased  to  60  by  the  day  pupils  of  Benicia.  The  four 
years  I  spent  at  the  seminary  were  years  of  struggle  for 
Miss  Atkins,  but  her  labors  brought  her  the  reward  of 
seeing  the  institution  raised  to  the  highest  standard  of 
excellence.  The  unequaled  reputation  was  firmly  estab- 
lished for  thorough  training  and  solid  education.  Before 
I  left  there  were  75  boarders  and  a  total  of  150  pupils. 
More  room  was  needed  to  meet  the  demand  for  admission, 
and  during  the  vacation  the  old  buildings  were  enlarged 
and  new  ones  built. 

"It  was  a  special  day  of  rejoicing,  January  1,  1855, 
when  Miss  Atkins  assumed  the  sole  management  of  the 
school.  As  I  was  the  oldest  pupil,  she  often  asked  me  to 
come  to  her  room  to  discuss  private  matters  with  her. 
Although  I  was  only  seventeen  years  old,  I  fully  under- 
stood the  great  task  of  establishing  an  institution  of  learn- 
ing in  those  rough  days.  The  needs  of  all  kinds  were  so 
great  and  the  only  way  of  getting  ahead  was  to  work  and 
wait.  Later  she  had  her  reward  in  sending  out  into  Cali- 
fornia some  of  the  best  educated  women  to  be  found  in 
any  land.  It  is  with  sincere  pride  I  look  back  and  see 
those  splendid  girls  who  were,  with  but  a  very  few  excep- 
tions, an  honor  and  credit  to  the  school,  to  society  and 
their  homes,  as  wives  of  some  of  our  most  distinguished 
statesmen,  lawyers  and  merchants.  In  my  graduating  year 
I  was  called  home  by  the  death  of  my  oldest  sister  and 
was  requested  to  take  up  her  labors  in  a  private  school 
of  sixty  pupils,  consequently  my  diploma  was  never 
received.  However,  at  the  last  reunion  of  the  graduates, 
held  in  the  year  1883,  I,  being  the  first  of  her  early  pupils 
to  gain  a  public  reputation  as  a  teacher  and  vocalist,  was 
unanimously  voted  honorary  member  of  the  Alumnse,  having 
attended  all  of  the  meetings  except  those  that  took  place 
during  my  residence  in  Boston,  Mass.,  from  1857  until  the 
spring  of  1862,  during  which  time  I  perfected  my  musical 
education.  On  my  return  I  attended  each  reunion  until 
the  end.  I  think  we  all  felt  at  the  time  that  it  was  the 
last.  Consequently  it  cast  a  gloom  over  the  pleasures  of 
our  last  meeting,  May  30,  1883.  On  the  14th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1882,  Mary  Atkins-Lynch  passed  away.  I  received  a 
letter  from  Judge  Lynch,  requesting  my  presence  at  the 
funeral  to  sing  the  last  song  for  her. 

"I  returned  once  more  to  Benicia  to  sing  at  a  concert 
given  by  the  Methodist  Church.  I  sang  in  the  same  old 
Courthouse  Hall  where  so  often  we  had  our  closing  exer- 
cises. It  was  in  this  hall,  June  12,  1856,  that  I  sang 
Schubert's  Serenade  for  the  first  time  with  Johanna 

36 


Prof.  Joseph  Trenkle 

Prof.  Beutler 
Old  Courthouse 


Young  Ladies'  Seminary 
Prof.  Schumacher 
Prof.  Paul  Pioda 


REMINISCENT  OF  BENICIA  IN  THE  EARLY  FIFTIES 


Lapfgeer,  soprano,  afterwards  Mrs.  Dr.  Bryant  of  San 
Francisco.  I  stilJ  have  the  programme  which  today  is  fifty- 
five  years  old.  My  return  was  in  1898.  After  the  concert 
I  hoped  to  see  many  of  my  old  friends  of  Benicia,  but 
there  were  but  six  present  of  all  I  knew  long  years  ago. 
I  marveled  at  the  small  number  left.  The  next  day  I 
visited  the  old  school.  As  I  stood  at  the  door  I  slowly 
surveyed  the  scene  and  my  thoughts  went  down  the  vista 
of  time  and  filled  my  heart  with  sadness  at  the  dreadful 
dilapidation  of  the  school  where  so  many  bright  minds  had 
been  educated  and  gone  forth  to  make  names  and  reputa- 
tions among  the  most  honorable  women  in  the  state.  After 
I  was  admitted  and  allowed  to  survey  the  place  I  stood  in 
the  entrance  of  the  old  schoolroom.  In  my  mind  I  could 
recall  the  faces  of  the  girls  as  they  sat  at  their  desks 
long  ago.  The  decay  of  the  school  was  all  so  dreadful 
to  me  I  could  not  hold  back  the  tears.  I  turned  quickly 
away  and  sought  the  old  well  where  we  had  so  often 
quenched  our  thirst  as  girls,  when  life  was  young  and 
hopes  high.  I  found  the  friend  of  long  ago,  but,  like  all 
the  rest  of  the  place,  it  was  also  in  the  last  stages  of 
decay.  I  had  become  so  sad  at  all  this  passing  away  I 
did  not  feel  the  pleasure  I  had  anticipated  in  visiting  the 
school  again.  The  teachers  that  were  employed  during  my 
time  at  school  were:  Prof.  P.  Pioda,  music  and  language; 
Mary  Atkins,  principal;  Miss  Cynthia  Vaughn,  assistant; 
Mrs.  Reynolds,  teacher  of  the  younger  day  pupils;  Miss 
Pettibeaux,  painting  and  drawing;  Miss  Johanna  Lapf- 
geer, piano  and  German;  Samuel  Gray,  bookkeeping; 
Margaret  Kroh,  writing  and  drawing.  The  directors  were : 
Dr.  S.  Woodbridge,  B.  W.  Mudge,  Samuel  Gray,  Dr.  Pea- 
body,  Captain  Walsh  and  J.  W.  Jones. 

"As  far  as  I  can  recall  them,  the  names  of  the  former 
pupils  were:  Emily  Walsh,  Benicia;  May  Emma  Wood- 
bridge,  Benicia;  May  Hook,  Benicia;  Mary  Riddell,  Be- 
nicia; Josie  Latimer,  Stockton;  Minnie  Latimer,  Stockton; 
Elizabeth  Manning,  Stockton;  Frances  Livingston,  San 
Francisco ;  May  Livingston,  San  Francisco ;  Kate  Grimm, 
Sacramento;  Mary  Bidwell,  Chico;  Mary  Church,  Chico; 
Rose  Reynolds,  San  Jose ;  Sallie  Tennant,  Marysville ;  Mollie 
Tennant,  Marysville;  Althea  Parker,  Stockton;  Miss  Rol- 
lins, Martinez;  May  O'Neil,  Sacramento;  Aggie  Bell,  Sac- 
ramento; Maggie  Kroh,  Stockton;  Sophia  Dallas,  Stock- 
ton; Mary  Dallas,  Stockton;  Nellie  Meader,  Stockton; 
Mary  Vincent,  Sacramento ;  Ella  Hunt,  San  Francisco ; 
May  Warren,  San  Francisco;  Georgia  Warren,  San  Fran- 

37 


cisco;  Grace  Woodbridge,  Benicia;  Ruth  Vaughn,  Sacra- 
mento. 

"The  day  pupils  were:  Mary  Hastings,  Benicia;  Vir- 
ginia Hubbs,  Benicia;  Lou  Boggs,  Napa;  Percy  Garritson, 
Benicia ;  Maria  Barber,  Martinez ;  Amanda  Hook,  Mar- 
tinez; May  Hook,  Martinez;  Mattie  Carpenter,  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  Rebecca  Woodbridge,  Benicia.." 

The  Benicia  girls  were  seated  at  a  table  especially 
decorated  for  the  occasion.  Through  the  thoughtfulness 
of  Mrs.  Mills,  eighteen  of  the  old  class  were  present  at 
this  time.  This  was  the  last  meeting  that  I  ever  attended 
of  the  members  of  the  Alma  Mater,  for  on  September  1, 
1901,  I  was  thrown  from  a  street  car  and  made  a  cripple 
for  the  rest  of  my  days  and  my  usefulness  was  cut  short 
for  filling  engagements  of  any  sort.  Since  my  recovery  I 
have  confined  myself  to  voice  teaching.  Only  on  a  few 
occasions  have  I  appeared  in  public.  This  was  either  on 
Decoration  Day  or  the  Fourth  of  July,  when  my  patriotism 
was  aroused.  I  was  always  ready  to  sing  for  Old  Glory 
or  help  our  boys  who  fought  in  1861. 

In  1855  when  I  left  the  seminary  I  returned  to  my 
home  in  Stockton.  My  parents  were  getting  along  in 
years  and  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  aid  them  if  possible.  There 
were  many  families  in  Stockton  at  this  time  and  young 
children  were  everywhere.  I  conceived  the  idea  of  an 
infant  school  composed  of  little  boys  and  girls  too  small 
to  go  to  the  public  schools.  My  suggestion  met  with 
approval  wherever  I  applied,  and  I  soon  had  thirty  pupils 
promised.  I  rented  a  cottage  of  one  room  across  the 
slough  from  my  home.  On  July  1,  1856,  I  began  and 
soon  had  a  school  full  of  little  folks,  numbering  thirty-five. 
I  continued  teaching  until  September  17,  1857,  when  I 
also  followed  my  older  sisters'  example  and  was  married 
to  George  H.  Blake,  the  eldest  son  of  Sir  Edwin  Blake, 
who  was  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  England  from  America 
at  one  time.  My  husband  was  also  the  grandson  of  Major- 
General  Benjamin  Lincoln,  a  heroic  officer  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  a  skillful  diplomat  in  the  councils  of  his  coun- 
try. Lincoln  was  born  in  Hingham,  near  Boston,  May 
23d,  1733.  In  1775  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Provincial  Congress  and  was  appointed  on  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence.  In  1776  he  received  the  appont- 
ment  of  brigadier  and  soon  after  that  of  major-general. 
He  rendered  valuable  services  in  the  trying  campaign  and 
signalized  himself  in  the  battles  on  the  plains  of  Saratoga 
which  proved  so  disastrous  to  Burgoyne.  He  was  severely 
wounded  during  these  battles.  In  the  battle  that  took 

38 


Captain  Charles  Blake 

AN  ANCIENT  SHEEPSKIN,  FROM  THE  GRAND  LODGE  OF 

FREE  AND  ACCEPTED  MASONS  OF  LONDON,  ENGLAND. 

1811,  THE  FIRST  ISSUED  TO  AN  AMERICAN 


place  on  October  7,  1776,  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the 
army.  He  did  not  return  until  the  following  August, 
when  he  was  immediately  sent  south  to  assume  command 
of  the  army  in  that  quarter,  which  on  his  arrival  at 
Charleston  in  December,  1778,  he  found  in  the  most  miser- 
ably destitute  and  disorderly  condition.  But  his  indefati- 


Major-General  Benjamin  Lincoln,  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  He  was 
the  grandfather  of  Mr.  George  H.  Blake  and  the  great-grandfather  of  George 
Lincoln  Blake  and  William  Ellery  Blake,  sons  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson. 

gable  industry  and  diplomatic  energy  enabled  him  in  the 
following  June  to  take  the  field.  Such  was  his  popularity 
with  the  army  and  the  whole  country  that  when  he  rejoined 
the  army  in  1781  to  co-operate  with  the  southern  army, 
he  had  the  high  satisfaction  of  taking  part  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  Yorktown  and  of  conducting  the  defeated  army 
to  the  field,  where  they  were  to  lay  down  their  arms  at 

39 


the  feet  of  the  illustrious  Washington.  General  Lincoln 
took  the  sword  from  Lord  Cornwallis  and  delivered  it  to 
his  Commander-in-Chief,  Washington. 

I  feel  justly  proud  with  my  sons,  George  Lincoln 
Blake  and  William  Ellery  Blake,  to  claim  such  illustrious 
descendants  of  our  great  republic,  especially  Lincoln,  who 
gained  such  high  recognition  from  our  government  for 
his  patriotism  and  diplomatic  energy  in  the  beginning  of 
our  republic.  He  quelled  the  famous  Shay's  insurrection 
in  1786-87.  He  held  the  post  of  Lieutenant-Go vernor, 
was  member  of  the  convention  called  to  ratify  the  new 
Constitution,  and  for  years  was  collector  of  port  in  Boston 
and  besides  filled  many  minor  offices.  He  received  from 
Harvard  University  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  was  a 
member  of  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  as  well  as 
of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati  from  its  organization  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  He  closed  his  honorable  and  useful 
life  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  life  at  Hingham, 
Mass.,  May  9,  1810. 

This  bit  of  history  I  have  selected  from  the  papers  of 
Capt.  Charles  Blake,  who  was  the  grand  uncle  of  my  sons, 
who  died  in  1859  during  the  time  I  visited  Boston  with 
my  husband  to  pursue  my  studies  in  music.  Capt.  Charles 
Blake  was  the  seventh  captain  of  the  Blake  family,  was  a 
man  celebrated  for  his  bravery  and  as  a  sailor  was  unex- 
celled in  his  time.  I  also  found  among  his  papers  a 
Masonic  sheepskin  (which  perhaps  will  be  an  interesting 
bit  of  information  for  the  Masons  of  California),  the  first 
one  that  was  ever  gotten  for  an  American.  It  could  not 
be  obtained  in  America,  consequently  it  was  secured  in 
England.  It  bears  the  faded  marks  of  "Grand  Lodge  of 
Master  Masons,  London  No.  25,  Registered  on  the  books 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  in  London,  the  llth  day  of  Septem- 
ber in  the  year  of  Masonry,  5011."  The  grand  seal  is 
attached  and  signed  by  Robert  Leslie,  Grand  Secretary: 
Edward  Harper,  D.  Gr.  Sec.  This  is  the  oldest  Masonic 
sheepskin  of  the  grand  lodge  in  America.  It  was  received 
by  my  uncle  when  he  was  twenty-five  years  old  and  has 
been  in  my  possession  since  1869,  forty-two  years  ago, 
when  we  received  his  trunks  after  his  death.  I  alone  am 
able  to  give  these  facts  of  our  family  history,  which  should 
be  known  to  all  the  members  of  our  family.  This  is  a 
family  book  as  well  as  an  intimate  history  of  my  life.  I 
have  been  received  during  my  life  in  California  with  so 
much  affection  and  appreciation  by  the  public  I  have 

40 


served,  that  when  I  write  I  consider  those  who  read  are 
my  friends,  that  we  are  of  one  common  family,  and  I 
cannot  look  upon  the  people  of  California  in  any  other 
way,  for  the  very  fact  that  everybody  I  meet  or  have  any 
dealings  with  greet  me  with  such  courtesy  and  warmth. 

The  death  of  sister  Mary  Matilda  Kroh-Trembly 
occurred  November  8,  1856,  in  the  thirty-first  year  of  her 
life  at  the  old  home  on  San  Joaquin  street,  Stockton.  In 
1855  she  was  married  to  Mr.  David  W.  Trembly  of  New 
York.  They  settled  in  San  Francisco,  but  after  living 
there  for  several  months  the  climate  was  found  to  be  too 
severe  and  she  contracted  bronchitis,  for  weeks  being 
unable  to  leave  her  room.  At  last  she  became  so  feeble 
that  she  was  brought  home  to  Stockton  and  lingered  for 
weeks.  I  was  at  Benicia  Seminary  still  and  in  my  last 
half  year  when  I  received  a  letter  to  hurry  home.  Uncle 
William  Trembly  came  from  San  Francisco  to  Benicia  to 
meet  me,  and  together  we  came  up  the  San  Joaquin 
slough,  but  unfortunately  for  us  we  had  many  things  to 
keep  us  from  arriving  in  time  to  see  her  alive.  At  last 
the  steamer  was  fast  on  the  hog's  back,  the  tide  was  out 
and  we  could  not  proceed.  The  sailors  worked  with  a 
will,  but  it  was  not  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
that  we  were  on  our  way  once  more.  What  a  night  of 
suspense !  I  loved  my  sister  to  devotion,  and  not  to  see 
her  alive  was  more  than  I  dared  to  contemplate,  but  so 
it  was  to  be.  She  passed  into  eternity  at  the  time  we  were 
trying  to  get  off  the  sand  bar  and  when  uncle  and  I 
arrived  in  the  morning,  she  was  dead. 

This  was  the  first  death  that  had  taken  place  in  our 
family.  All  of  us  had  grown  to  manhood  and  womanhood 
and  had  been  mercifully  spared  all  these  years  until  now 
the  dearest  one  of  all  had  to  pass  away  and  leave  us  to 
mourn  her  loss.  She  was  the  embodiment  of  all  that  was 
good  in  life,  a  pattern  for  all  to  follow.  She  was  our 
second  mother.  When  mother  was  attending  to  the  church 
work  or  visiting  the  sick,  accompanying  father  at  baptisms, 
weddings,  funerals  or  other  offices  that  fall  to  the  minister's 
wife,  sister  was  always  ready  to  take  her  place  and  see 
that  all  was  well  at  home.  She  taught  in  the  public 
schools,  gave  music  lessons,  was  German  teacher,  organist 
on  Sunday  and  teacher  in  the  Sabbath  school.  Her  life 
was  always  full  of  duties.  She  had  also  been  father's 
secretary  and  attended  to  all  of  his  correspondence  in  his 
absence.  Never  complaining,  always  there  to  attend  to  all 
the  duties  devolving  upon  her,  she  was  a  happy  spirit  of 

41 


the  home,  as  much  missed  as  mother  or  father.  She  was 
my  pattern  and  guide  and  if  I  have  ever  achieved  any- 
thing to  merit  commendation  during  my  life  I  owe  all  my 
best  to  her.  She  was  my  first  music  teacher  and  I  have 
never  deviated  from  her  principles  of  voice  placement. 
By  so  doing  I  am  able  to  sing  today  with  a  correct 
knowledge  of  perfect  tone  production  and  able  to  impart 
to  others  the  same  tonal  art  that  I  have  given  to  hundreds 
of  pupils  that  have  come  under  my  supervision  during  my 
many  years  of  successful  teaching  in  California.  Being 
so  widely  known  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  her,  when 
she  was  buried  the  schools  were  closed  and  the  children, 
two  by  two,  marched  in  procession  and  every  conveyance 
that  could  be  procured  at  that  time  was  used  so  that  all 
who  wished  to  honor  the  beloved  could  do  so.  All  the 
dear  friends  who  were  the  instigators  in  procuring  the 
first  piano  for  her  were  in  the  procession  and  were  most 
sincere  mourners  for  the  loved  musician  who  always  gave 
them  so  many  hours  of  real  happiness. 

She  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  pleasures  which  they 
had  so  many  times  enjoyed  in  their  loneliness  away  from 
their  homes  in  the  East.  The  music  that  was  rendered  by 
our  family  was  the  only  diversion  and  happiness  that  came 
into  their  lives  in  the  early  fifties  when  the  world  seemed 
to  be  populated  by  men  alone,  all  seeking  the  one  aim — to 
get  gold  and  go  back  rich  men  and  then  enjoy  wealth  and 
ease  and  comfort  and  make  amends  for  the  struggles  and 
deprivations  they  had  suffered.  Now  the  spirit  of  this 
cherished  friend  had  passed  out  to  join  the  Choir  Invisible, 
and  a  befitting  burial  was  given  her  as  a  memorial  of  the 
affection  in  which  she  was  held  by  those  who  owed  her  so 
much  of  real  happiness  in  the  severe  struggles  of  the 
pioneer  life  when  we  were  but  a  small  colony  of  the  first 
white  women  and  men  in  the  City  of  Stockton. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Mary  Kroh-Trembly, 

pioneer  organist,  Stockton,  California,  1852. 

j 


42 


CHAPTER  FOUR 


HOW   I    MADE  THE  FIRST  BEAR  FLAG   IN   CALIFORNIA 


HEN  I  was  fifteen  years  old  the  San  Joaquin 
slough  was  wide  enough  for  river  steamers, 
schooners  and  sloops  to  make  safe  landings  in 
the  heart  of  Stockton.  This  was  in  1854. 
Schooners  brought  lumber,  potatoes  and  hay 
to  Stockton  from  San  Francisco.  One  of  the 
boats  making' a  monthly  trip  to  Stockton  was  captained  by 
a  popular  young  man  familiarly  called  "Captain  Charley." 
That  is  my  reason  for  not  calling  him  by  his  name.  I 
never  saw  him,  but  my  brother,  George  Kroh,  would  often 
stand  on  the  wharf  and  watch  his  men  unload  the  steamer. 
It  was  on  one  of  these  occasions  that  Captain  Charley  in 
conversation  with  one  of  his  friends  said,  "I  tell  you, 
John,  I'd  give  a  fifty-dollar  slug  if  I  could  get  a  Bear  flag 
to  fly  from  the  topmast  of  my  natty  schooner.  Nothing 
would  please  me  more  than  to  come  up  this  slough  with 
just  such  a  flag.  I  won't  rest,  either,  until  I  have  Old 
Glory  and  the  Bear  Flag  flying  on  my  craft."  When  the 
captain's  friend  left  him,  my  brother  stepped  up  to  him 
and  said,  "Were  you  in  earnest,  captain,  when  you  said 
you  would  give  a  fifty-dollar  slug  for  a  Bear  flag?"  The 
captain  laughed  and  said,  "I  certainly  was  in  earnest,  and 
I'll  say  it  again  to  you." 

My  brother  said,  "Captain,  I  have  a  sister  who  can 
make  you  that  flag."  "All  right,"  said  Captain  Charley, 
"You  have  a  fine  flag  ready  when  I  get  back  and  the  slug 
will  be  yours."  It  was  a  bargain  and  they  shook  hands 
on  the  deal.  When  George  came  home  he  said  to  mother, 
"Where's  Maggie?"  "Up  stairs,"  was  the  reply.  He  came 
up  and  said  in  an  off-hand  way,  "Maggie,  how  would  you 
like  to  make  a  Bear  flag?"  I  looked  up  in  surprise  and 
said,  "A  bear  flag?  What  kind  of  a  flag  is  that?"  My 
sister,  Mary,  spoke  up  and  said,  "Why,  Maggie,  it  is  the 
flag  of  California.  I  saw  a  picture  of  it  in  the  newspaper, 
and  I  cut  it  out."  She  then  asked  George  who  wanted 
the  flag.  "Well,"  he  replied,  "Captain  Charley  of  one  of 
these  schooners  said  this  morning  he  would  give  a  fifty- 

43 


dollar  slug  to  get  a  Bear  flag  to  float  beside  Old  Glory, 
and  I  told  him  you  would  make  it  for  him."  A  fifty-dollar 
slug  all  my  own !  "Ha,  ha,"  I  laughed  in  high  glee.  "I'll 
make  it  if  sister  will  help  me."  So  it  was  planned  I  should 
make  the  first  Bear  flag  to  fly  on  any  boat  up  the  San 
Joaquin  river. 

The  next  morning  sister  and  I  went  to  the  dry  goods 
store  at  Grove  and  Knight  streets,  and  after  getting  the 
proper  materials  we  obtained  information  in  regard  to  the 
size  of  the  flag  and  the  bear  and  other  details.  The 
work  began  early  the  next  day  and  my  hands  were 
busy  hemming  the  sides  and  ends  while  sister  drew  the 
shape  of  the  bear  and  cut  it  out  of  brown  drilling.  We 
got  our  quilting  frame  and  stretched  the  flag  on  it, 
and  when  it  was  all  nicely  stretched  we  laid  the  bear  on 
the  white  surface  and  began  to  get  it  into  the  right  place. 
Then  the  basting  began  so  that  nothing  should  go  wrong 
in  putting  it  neatly  and  correctly  in  the  middle.  After  it 
was  securely  basted  we  had  some  dark  green  drilling  cut 
so  as  to  resemble  the  grass  under  his  feet,  and  that  was 
carefully  basted  and  looked  very  proper.  Now  there  was 
a  star  to  go  on  in  the  corner.  We  cut  it  out  of  blue 
selicia  and  soon  had  it  in  its  place.  My  sister  Mary  was 
an  artist  and  could  draw  anything  and  cut  anything  she 
wished.  After  the  basting  was  done,  we  stood  and  looked 
at  our  work  with  a  satisfied  air,  pleased  with  our  effort  in 
making  a  flag  for  the  first  time.  Now  came  the  work. 
All  this  had  to  be  done  by  hand.  There  were  no  sewing 
machines  at  that  time,  and  the  only  way  was  to  hem  down 
every  figure,  also  the  letters  and  star.  The  edges  must 
be  secure  or  else  the  wind  would  soon  play  havoc  with  the 
flag,  so  stitch  after  stitch  was  taken  and  everything  was 
thoroughly  hemmed  and  carefully  fastened.  I  was  no 
stranger  to  the  needle,  and  my  deft  fingers  flew  over 
these  letters  and  hemmed  in  the  corners,  so  that  when  it 
was  finished  and  pressed  they  looked  as  though  they  were 
woven  upon  the  cloth.  I  was  a  whole  month  stitching 
and  hemming  the  different  parts  that  composed  the  flag. 

At  last  it  was  finished  and  ready  for  delivery,  and  we 
awaited  the  coming  of  Captain  Charley.  My  brother 
watched  the  boats  come  in  and  after  the  third  day  of 
watching  he  was  rewarded  by  seeing  the  craft  moving 
slowly  up  the  slough,  heavily  laden  with  lumber  and  bags 
of  potatoes  and  other  articles  needed  in  the  market  and 
for  building.  When  the  vessel  was  made  fast  to  the  dock 
Brother  George  came  home  and  reported,  and  we  were 

44 


Sallie  Knox  Mary  O'Neill  Mary  Atkins 

FIRST  GRADUATING  CLASS  Principal 

Mary  Emma  Woodbridge,    Mary  Ridell,    Mary  Hook,    Mary  Emily  Walsh 
Kate  Sherman  Agnes  Bell 

YOUNG   LADIES'   SEMINARY,    BENICIA,    FOUNDED    1852 


all  excitement  to  know  if  it  was  to  be  a  reality  or  a  joke 
in  regard  to  the  flag.  Next  noon  brother  went  down  and 
when  he  saw  the  captain  he  went  to  him  and  told  him 
that  the  flag  he  had  ordered  was  finished,  and  it  was  a 
beauty,  too.  "All  right,"  said  the  captain,  "let  me  see  the 
flag  and  I'll  be  on  hand  with  the  gold  in  an  hour."  The 
flag  was  opened  in  the  cabin  of  the  craft  and  when  the 
captain  saw  the  beautifully  finished  flag  he  had  no  words 
to  express  himself.  He  just  gazed  upon  it  like  a  child 
with  a  new  toy.  At  last  he  turned  to  his  sideboard  and 
took  from  it  two  decanter  stands  with  bands  of  silver 
two  inches  high  and  heavily  wrought  edge  on  the  bottoms 


CALIFORNIA  REPUBLIC 


Bear  flag  made  by  Maggie  R.   Kroh    (Mrs.   Blake- Alverson),    1852,   for   a 

Sacramento  river  schooner,  the  first  flag  used  at  that  time.    Compensation  was 

a  fifty-dollar  gold  slug. 

of  the  finest  polished  wood  and  in  the  center  a  silver  deer's 
head,  with  the  name  of  the  vessel  in  silver.  He  soon 
wrapped  these  beautiful  stands  up  and  handed  them  to 
my  brother,  besides  the  fifty-dollar  slug.  He  sent  them 
as  a  compliment  to  the  young  lady  of  fifteen  years  who 
could  make  a  flag  of  this  sort  with  such  exquisite  neat- 
ness. When  brother  returned  it  was  our  turn  to  be 
astonished  to  see  these  beautiful  decanter  stands,  fit  to 
grace  the  side-board  of  any  mansion  in  the  land,  and  they 
were  mine,  and  also  the  slug  which  brother  tossed  into 
my  lap.  When  I  saw  it  I  could  not  believe  my  eyes.  It 
looked  as  big  as  a  cart  wheel  to  me,  for  I  never  possessed 

45 


so  much  money  in  all  my  life  before.  You  can  readily 
believe  it  was  a  ten  days'  wonder. 

We  had  moved  into  our  new  home  on  San  Joaquin 
street  and  the  cost  had  been  great.  To  have  a  house  in 
those  days  was  a  luxury  and  it  was  always  the  rule  of 
our  family  not  to  owe  anything  that  could  be  paid.  We 
all  worked  toward  that  end,  so  when  everything  was  paid 
there  was  not  so  much  income  as  of  old.  Following  the 
hardships  of  crossing  the  plains,  father  was  never  himself 
again,  and  we  felt  that  he  had  earned  his  rest  after  all 
these  years  of  church  work  and  mission-building  from  one 
state  to  another.  He  had  got  so  far  away  from  the 
Eastern  Board  of  Missions  and  had  always  been  such  a 
tower  of  strength  in  all  his  work  that  they  neglected  him 
and  he  felt  it,  in  spite  of  all  his  tenderness  of  heart 
towards  the  church  and  humanity.  He  gradually  failed 
and  gave  up  all  work  and  contented  himself  in  his  garden, 
shop  and  library. 

My  sister  Mary  was  always  my  guide  in  everything. 
For  a  few  days  I  kept  my  precious  slug  and  looked  at  it 
and  thought  how  much  money  it  was.  One  evening  I 
heard  father  and  mother  talking  together  after  they  had 
retired.  The  door  of  our  sleeping  apartments  were  always 
open  into  the  hall,  in  case  of  sickness  or  accident,  and  for 
some  reason  I  could  not  go  to  sleep.  As  I  lay  there  I 
heard  father  and  mother  planning  some  problem.  I  could 
not  hear  all,  but  I  understood  there  was  some  money 
needed.  In  the  morning,  after  all  the  work  was  done  and 
I  was  sitting  by  my  sister's  side  sewing  with  her,  I  told 
her  what  I  had  heard  before  I  went  to  sleep.  "Yes,"  she 
said,  "Father  has  still  something  to  pay  and  he  feels  he 
cannot  take  any  more  from  the  family  allowance,  for 
there  are  so  many  of  us."  "Oh,"  I  replied,  "He  can  have 
my  slug.  I  wonder  why  he  did  not  tell  me  he  needed  it." 
I  soon  had  the  precious  money  in  my  hand  and  sister  and 
I  found  a  box  to  put  it  into.  The  following  little  letter 
had  to  go  with  it:  "My  dear  father  and  mother:  I  am 
so  glad  I  was  able,  with  my  sister  Mary's  help,  to  make 
the  pretty  flag  and  so  get  this  fine  piece  of  gold  to  help 
pay  on  the  dear  home  which  Mary,  Jane,  Sallie  and  I 
helped  to  buy  for  you  with  the  day's  work  with  our 
boarders.  It  was  a  happy  and  cheerful  task  to  help  you 
in  building  the  first  dwelling  house  in  our  dear  Stockton. 
Now  it  will  all  be  yours  as  long  as  you  live.  I  willingly 
give  you  my  flag  money,  so  you  will  not  have  to  fret  any 

46 


more  over  the  debt  of  the  house.     Always,  your  laughing, 
happy  girl,  Rosana  Margaret." 

The  box  and  letter  were  put  at  father's  place  on  the 
dinner  table  and  after  he  was  seated  he  noticed  it.  Putting 
on  his  glasses  he  said,  "Children,  what  have  we  here.  It 
is  not  my  birthday."  Not  a  word  was  said  while  he  read 
the  letter,  then  he  opened  the  box  and  saw  the  bright 
golden  slug.  He  laid  down  his  glasses  and  looked  over  at 
me  and  said,  "So  Rosana  Margaret,  it  was  by  your 
cheerful  handiwork  that  the  last  burden  has  been  lifted." 
I  quietly  lifted  up  my  face  and  said,  "Father,  Tilly  helped 
me  and  we  are  glad  you  won't  have  to  trouble  any  more." 
He  then  lifted  up  his  hands  and  said,  "Let  us  ask 
God's  blessing."  If  prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire, 
uttered  or  unexpressed,  then  I  think  the  offering  on 
Abel's  altar  was  not  more  acceptable  before  the  Lord 
than  was  the  prayer  of  my  most  reverent  father  as  he 
prayed  for  a  blessing  on  his  family,  far  from  the  scenes 
of  his  early  life  and  all  that  went  to  make  him  happy 
when  he  and  mother  went  hand  in  hand  out  into  God's 
vineyard  to  do  God's  work,  he  as  an  ordained  man  of  God 
and  she  an  ideal  minister's  wife  who  never  faltered  in  her 
duty  through  the  roughest  pioneer  days  in  the  swamps  of 
Illinois  to  the  last  journey  to  California  to  build  up  the 
Church  of  God  even  here  in  the  farthest  west  by  the 
Golden  Gate.  All  that  was  mortal  of  these  two  faithful 
pilgrims  rests  in  the  new  cemetery  in  Stockton,  always 
united  in  life  and  in  death  were  not  divided: 

"What's  this  that  steals,  that  steals  upon  my  breath, 
Is  it  death?  is  it  death? 
If  this  be  death,  I  soon  shall  be 
From  every  sin  and  sorrow  free. 
I  shall  the  King  of  Glory  see, 
All  is  well,  all  is  well." 

(Father  and  mother's  last  hymn.) 


47 


CHAPTER  FIVE 


BOSTON.      DEDHAM    CHOIR,    1858.      THE   CIVIL  WAR.      FAMOUS 
MUSICIANS.     RETURN  TO  CALIFORNIA.     SANTA  CRUZ. 


N  January,  1859,  I  accompanied  my  husband  to 
Boston  to  visit  his  relatives.  My  son  George 
was  seven  months  old.  My  husband  realized 
my  voice  was  more  than  ordinary  and  as  he 
was  a  fine  tenor,  and  also  a  good  pianist,  he 
desired  that  I  should  have  the  best  advantages  that  could 
be  procured,  so  once  more  I  made  the  pilgrimage  of  the 
ocean  and  the  Isthmus.  We  arrived  at  noon  in  New  York 
in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  snow-storm — gloomy,  cold  and 
raw — snow  everywhere.  I  remained  in  the  depot  while 
my  husband  attended  to  our  baggage  and  secured  the 
tickets  for  Boston,  and  we  left  New  York  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  Blockades  of  snow  twice  stopped  our 
train  and  shovel  ploughs  had  to  be  used.  On  the  following 
day,  taking  rooms  at  the  nearest  hotel  and  having  been 
made  comfortable,  my  husband  sought  his  relatives.  On 
his  return  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  went  to  the 
home  of  his  uncle,  William  Lincoln,  on  Chestnut  street, 
who  had  been  my  husband's  foster  father  after  the  death 
of  his  parents.  Here  we  remained  until  we  moved  to  120 
Charles  street,  afterward  moving  to  Dedham,  where  Mr. 
Blake  was  made  a  fine  business  offer. 

In  this  city  I  began  my  musical  studies.  It  was  noised 
about  that  the  young  merchant's  wife  was  a  singer  from 
California.  In  a  short  time  I  became  a  member  of  Dr. 
Burgess'  choir,  composed  of  men  and  women  of  the  first 
families  in  Dedham.  Mr.  Blake  and  myself  were  the  only 
two  persons  who  ever  sang  with  them  that  had  not  been 
born  and  bred  there.  They  had  sung  together  for  over 
sixteen  years,  some  of  the  members  had  grown  old  in  the 
service.  They  were  instructed  each  week  by  Edwin  Bruce, 
who  came  from  Boston  each  Tuesday  and  drilled  and 
taught  us  in  the  best  music  of  the  day.  He  was  a  most 
competent  leader  and  teacher.  With  our  choir  he  directed 
and  drilled  three  more  choirs.  His  soloists  were  the  best 
that  could  be  procured  and  our  concerts  were  looked 
forward  to  by  the  people  who  filled  Tremont  Temple  to 

48 


Geo.  M.  Wight         Henry  Sherwin         C.  Churchill 
Charles  Wight  H.  Hitchings 

Adelbert  Calder        Edwin  Bruce  Chas.  J.  Capen 

Geo.  H.  Blake          Dr.  Burgess  J.  G.  Taft 

Dr.  Edwin  Burgess  Alvin  Fisher  Mr.  Black 


MEN   SINGERS,   DEDHAM,    MASS., 
Congregational    Church    Choir 


G.  W.  Macbeth 
J.  Eaton 
E.  M.  Everett 
C.  B.  Danforth 
Ellery  C.  Daniells 

1861 


years  of  study  I  associated  with  and  heard  singers  of  all 
nations  and  had  an  opportunity  to  study  the  music  of 
oratorios,  church  and  concert  work.  The  Handel  and 
Hayden  society  had  over  500  members,  Carl  Zerrahn, 
leader,  Howard  Dow,  organist.  With  our  choir  and  the 
other  three  choirs  I  have  spoken  of,  we  lived  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  music  continually  for  four  years. 

In  the  first  part  of  1861  war  was  declared  and  a  state 
of  great  excitement  prevailed.  Volunteers  were  sought 
and  young  men  and  boys  and  old  men  who  were  vigorous, 
men  rilled  with  patriotic  fire,  responded.  Everybody  was 
ready  to  go  to  the  front.  No  one  held  back  services  or 
money.  Even  the  women  began  to  feel  they  must  do 
something  and  while  the  recruits  were  drilling  and  women 
were  sewing,  making  comforters,  havelocks,  ditty  bags, 
bandages,  lint  and  other  necessaries  required  for  the 
wounded,  they  formed  themselves  into  a  Christian  Com- 
mission Society  and  began  systematically  to  plan  ways  and 
means  to  meet  the  situation  which  needed  so  much  atten- 
tion and  help  from  every  one,  old  or  young.  The  Elders 
of  the  church  gave  us  permission  to  use  the  church  parlors 
to  sew  in  and  four  sewing  machines  were  put  in  and  work 
began  in  earnest  to  help  the  cause.  Old  ladies  made  lint 
and  knitted  socks  and  other  necessary  articles  that  soldiers 
need.  On  the  evening  of  May  1,  1861,  we  gave  the  first  con- 
cert in  aid  of  the  soldiers.  The  choir  was  assisted  by  Miss 
Louisa  Adams,  soprano;  Edwin  Bruce,  director;  Charles 
Capin,  organist  of  the  Orthodox  Society.  The  church  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity,  the  overflow  was  sufficient 
to  insure  another  house.  Everybody  was  on  tiptoe  to  hear 
the  choir  give  its  first  concert  for  the  soldiers.  The  sixteen 
ladies  of  the  choir  were  dressed  in  white  with  tri-colored 
scarfs  over  their  shoulders.  The  men  in  dress  suits  back 
of  them  completed  the  picture.  Large  flags  were  draped 
on  either  side  of  the  organ  and  festoons  of  evergreens  fell 
gracefully  from  the  front  of  the  choir  loft  and  organ. 
Cheer  after  cheer  rang  out  as  the  choir  arose  to  sing 
America.  It  was  fully  ten  minutes  before  we,  were  allowed 
to  begin  the  concert. 

The  praises  of  this  first  concert  were  so  many  that  we 
were  obliged  to  give  another  in  Tremont  Temple  in  Boston. 
From  that  time  we  gave  a  concert  each  month  to  raise 
funds  for  the  volunteers  during  the  year  1861.  The 
treasury  was  always  supplied  from  the  proceeds  of  these 
concerts  and  the  supply  of  money  never  failed,  to  my 
knowledge,  during  my  sojourn  in  Dedham.  The  excitement 
of  the  hour  was  intense — regiments  of  volunteers  passed 

49 


daily  on  their  way  to  the  front.  They  were  greeted  and 
cheered  by  the  people ;  garlands  and  bouquets  were  thrown 
from  the  windows  as  they  passed.  It  was  a  scene  that 
never  will  be  forgotten,  when  we  reflect  that  not  two-thirds 
of  these  splendid  men  ever  came  back.  Later  on  the  choirs 
visited  the  hospitals  and  we  found  many  brave  hearts, 
who  had  fought  and  were  wounded  for  their  country, 
lying  there.  To  them  we  brought  supplies  of  fruit,  flowers 
and  nourishing  food  and  sang  to  them.  So  the  good  work 
went  on  from  week  to  week  until  the  year  1861  was  nearly 
over.  We  decided  to  return  to  California,  business  was 
demoralized  and  uncertainty  reigned  and  we  had  been  four 
years  from  home.  During  that  time  I  had  become  a  singer 
and  was  able  to  take  my  place  with  other  artists  of  repute. 
I  had  during  my  study  become  acquainted  with  the  fore- 
most artists  of  that  time  and  sang  with  them  on  many 
occasions. 

Among  the  famous  organists  of  1858  were : 

W.   R.   Babcock  Charles  J.  Capen 

G.  W.  Harris  H.  W.  Edes 

Adolph   Baumbach  J.  H.  B.  Thayer 

Howard  M.  Dow  I.  D.  Parker 

W.   B.  Clark  Carl    Zerrahn,   Leader. 

•The  men  and  women  singers  of  Dedham  Congrega- 
tional Church  Choir  in  1858  were : 

Adams,  Louisa,  Miss,  prima  donna  Burgess,  Dr.  E.  P.,  bass 
Adams,  Henrietta,  Miss,  contralto  Burgess,  Edwin,  tenor 

Blake,  Margaret,  Mrs.,  Churchill,  C.  C.,  bass 

mezzo-contralto  Calder,  Bert,  bass 

Bates,  Helen,  Miss,  soprano  Danforth,  C.  B.,  bass 

Bullard,  Mary,  Miss,  soprano  Eaton,  J.,  bass 

Bpyd,  Mary  Miss,  soprano  Everett,  E.,  bass 

Bickner,  Clara,  Miss,  soprano  Fisher,  Alvin  J.,  bass 
Covell,  O.  M.,  Miss,  contralto  (former  choir  master) 

Draper,  M.  J.  Mrs.,  soprano  Hitchings,  Henry,  bass 

Daniel,  Olive,  Mrs.  contralto  Sherwin,  Henry,  tenor 

Everett,  Hattie,  Miss,  soprano  Taft,  J.  G.,  bass 

Fisher,  Mattie  E.,  Mrs.,  contralto  Wright,  Geo.,  tenor 

Guild,  Hattie,  Miss,  contralto  Wright,  Charles,  bass 

Guild,  Mary,  Miss,  soprano  Macbeth,  G.  W.,  bass 

Kingsbury,  Susan,  Miss,  soprano  Capen,  Chas.  J.,  organist 

Taft,  Louisa,  Miss,  soprano  Bruce,  Edwin,  director 

Williams,  N.  R.,  Mrs.,  contralto  Daniel,  Ellery  C.,  choir  master 
Blake,  Geo.  H.,  tenor 

Thirty-five  singers,  men  and  women,  composed  the 
choir  of  Dr.  Burgess'  church  in  Dedham,  and  as  organist 
we  had  Chas.  J.  Capen.  The  director  and  teacher  of 
vocal  music  was  Edwin  Bruce.  Ellery  C.  Daniel  was 
choir  master.  In  addition  to  this  choir,  Mr.  Bruce  con- 
trolled three  other  quartette  and  chorus  choirs  that  could 

50 


be  called  upon  to  aid  us  in  any  entertainment  we  chose  to 
give,  consequently  when  the  war  broke  out  it  was  not 
many  weeks  before  we  were  in  demand  and  continued  to 
successfully  and  constantly  add  new  laurels  to  our  large 
galaxy  of  singers  of  repute.  Carl  Zerrahn  was  leader  of 
the  Handel  and  Hayden  Society,  of  which  we  were  all 
members.  The  soloists  were  many  of  the  best  on  this 
continent.  What  magnificent  music  we  gave.  I  lived  just 
in  a  world  of  song  and  associated  with  the  best  of  them 
and  was  accepted  and  acknowledged  by  them  all.  I 
remember  well  when  we  gave  the  oratorio,  David,  April 
3,  1859,  the  forty-third  season.  I  never  had  sung  with  so 
many  singers  before  and  I  was  in  a  maze  of  excitement. 
I  was  ready  also  to  enjoy  every  note,  for  it  was  the  largest 
aggregation  of  solo  singers  I  had  ever  heard.  The  soloists 
were : 


Mrs.  J.  H.  Long,  dramatic  soprano  Edward  Hamilton,  bass 
Miss  Louisa  Adams,  coloratura  so-  C.  R.  Adams,     tenor 

prano  George  Wright,  Jr.,  bass 

].  P.  Draper,  tenor  Carl  Zerrahn,  conductor 

P.  H.  Powers,  bass  J.  C.  D.  Parker,  organist 

With  all  these  artists  and  500  in  the  chorus  to  round 
out  the  society,  we  gave  a  great  performance.  The  Boston 
Music  Hall  was  crowded  to  the  doors  and  the  oratorio 
was  as  perfectly  given  as  could  be  asked  by  the  most 
exacting  critic.  This  was  but  one  of  the  beautiful  ora- 
torios that  were  given  during  my  stay  in  Massachusetts. 
Instead  of  church  service  on  the  Sabbath  evenings,  the 
oratorios  were  given.  In  this  way  I  was  able  to  learn 
the  music  of  all  the  most  important  works  on  oratorio. 
I  was  but  twenty-one  years  old  when  I  began  this  kind  of 
singing.  Church  music  I  sang  from  my  infancy,  conse- 
quently my  voice  was  fully  developed  in  the  broad  church 
style  and  I  had  no  difficulty  to  acquire  this,  although  it 
was  more  difficult  music  than  I  had  ever  attempted,  but 
with  patience  and  weekly  rehearsals  and  daily  practice  it 
became  familiar  and  a  part  of  my  life.  While  the  rebel- 
lion was  raging  we  laid  aside  oratorio  work  and  studied 
patriotic  music  suitable  to  the  concerts  that  we  were  called 
upon  to  give  to  raise  funds  for  the  soldiers.  All  social 
life  was  put  aside  and  we  devoted  our  time  to  help  our 
fathers,  brothers  and  sons  who  were  called  away  to  fight 
for  the  union  of  states.  There  were  no  laggards  in  these 
stirring  times;  young  and  old  alike  were  imbued  with  the 
patriotism  that  possessed  our  forefathers  of  1776. 

51 


Here  I  regret  to  say  I  am  afraid  in  our  later  days 
there  is  not  the  same  spirit  of  patriotism  as  I  saw  it  in 
the  year  of  1861.  To  me  of  all  the  flags  that  ever  floated 
in  any  country  of  the  universe  none  appeals  as  the  Ameri- 
can flag  does.  When  I  see  its  graceful  folds  unfurled  to 
the  breeze,  catching  the  gleams  of  the  morning's  first 
beam,  my  heart  leaps  with  pride  and  patriotic  fire.  To  my 
mind  I  never  possessed  voice  enough  to  sing  the  praises 
of  the  finest  flag  that  ever  floated  under  the  canopy  of 
heaven.  Any  one  less  patriotic  in  spirit  than  this  is  not 
worthy  to  call  America  his  country  or  home.  In  vision  I 
can  now  see  these  splendid  men  march  to  their  death. 
Regiment  after  regiment  passed  daily  and  was  encouraged 
and  cheered  by  the  enthusiastic  women  and  children  who 
watched  the  soldiers  until  out  of  sight.  Then  after  they 
had  embarked,  the  women  returned  to  their  firesides  and 
wondered  who  would  return.  Tears  came  unbidden,  yet 
we  were  strong  in  the  belief  and  hope  that  our  loved  ones 
would  not  be  sacrificed.  After  a  hard  struggle  of  four 
years  some  homes  were  made  happy  and  others  felt  the 
blow.  Many  returned  wounded.  To  them  we  gave  all 
care.  The  hospitals  were  visited  and  relief  given.  There 
were  services  for  the  sick  and  burial  for  the  dead.  Our 
voices  as  well  as  the  work  were  not  spared  as  long  as  we 
could  give  aid  to  the  living  and  the  dead.  This  experience 
of  my  life  has  prompted  me  to  extend  any  service  I  can 
for  the  men  who  fought  so  bravely  when  the  crisis  came, 
and  as  long  as  I  have  voice  and  can  help  in  any  capacity 
in  aid  of  the  American  soldier  who  fought  in  1861  I  shall 
give  the  best  I  have. 

Before  I  leave  my  Eastern  subject  I  wish  to  recall  some 
of  the  celebrated  singers  and  organists  whom  I  had  an 
opportunity  to  hear,  at  their  best,  and  with  many  of 
whom  I  passed  happy  hours  musically  and  in  pleasant 
companionship.  Most  of  the  singers  of  my  time  were 
American  singers,  even  in  the  Italian  opera: 

1859. 

Mrs.  Jennie  Kempton,  contralto  B.  F.  Gilbert,  tenor 

Mrs.  Washburn,  soprano  C.  E.  Pickett,  tenor 

Isabelle  Hinkley,  soprano  I.  P.  Draper,  bass 

Abbie  Plummer,  contralto  Mr.  Wadleigh,  bass 
Miss  Louisa  Adams,  coloratura  so-  Mr.  Emerson,  tenor 

prano  Henry  Clay  Barnabee,  tenor 
Mrs.  Margaret  Blake,  mezzo  con- 
tralto 


52 


Susan  Kingsbury       Olive  M.  CovcII        Hattie  Everett  Clara  Bickner 

Mrs.  Alvin  Fisher    Louisa  Adams  Mary  Bullard  Mrs.  Olive  Daniel! 

Mrs.  Draper  Louisa  Taft  Helen  Bates  Mary  Boyd 

Mrs.  Margaret  Blake- Alverson 

Hattie  Guild  May  Guild  Mrs.  Williams  Henrietta  Adams 

WOMEN    SINGERS,    DEDHAM,    MASS.,    1861 
Congregational  Church  Choir 


1860. 

Prof.  B.  J.  Lang,  pianist  Madam  Colspn 

Howard  M.  Dow,  organist  Adelaide  Phillips 

Adolph  Baumbach,  pianist  Anna  Louisa  Carey 

Carl  Zerrahn,  conductor  Carl  Formes,  basso  prof  undo 

Mile.  Carlotta  Patti 

1861. 
PROGRAMMES. 

Martha  II  Guiramento 

Lucia  Di  Lammermoor  The  Messiah 

Un  Ballo  in  Maschera  Moses  in  Egito 

La  Juive  David 

I  have  placed  these  programmes  here  so  as  to  show 
what  singers  were  considered  the  first  and  best  fifty 
years  ago.  My  impressions  received  at  that  time  left  their 
imprint  for  excellence  and  a  pattern  for  those  who  aspire 
to  real  worth  to  follow. 

The  unfortunate  training  of  the  voices  in  our  time  has 
given  us  many  inferior  singers  who  come  and  go  and  are 
forgotten.  The  great  singers  of  before  are  engraved  for- 
ever in  the  hearts  of  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
enjoy  the  exquisite  rendering  of  their  work.  We  call  this 
an  age  of  progress.  We  may  be  wiser  in  some  directions, 
but  as  for  the  best  music  the  past  will  have  to  chronicle 
the  superior  singer.  Carlotta  Patti  was  a  more  beautiful 
singer  than  her  sister  Adelina.  On  account  of  her  lame- 
ness she  could  not  travel  as  an  opera  singer.  I  have 
heard  both  singers  and  Carlotta  was  my  choice.  Adelina 
was  the  most  advertised,  for  she  was  a  money-maker  and 
demanded  just  so  much  notoriety  when  she  engaged  and 
signed  her  contracts.  Her  power  was  supreme  and  no 
one  dared  to  say  her  nay.  Woe  be  to  the  poor  prima 
donna  who  sang  better  or  had  more  applause  or  favors 
than  she  did.  She  was  the  only  queen  of  song  as  long 
as  her  reign  lasted.  Emma  Nevada  and  Madam  Etelka 
Gersta  were  her  especial  victims  when  they  sang  the 
same  season  with  her.  I  am  stating  facts  which  will 
stand.  To  be  a  good  singer  and  up  to  the  standard  one 
must  be  a  good  woman  with  a  refined  and  educated  mind, 
a  sympathetic  temperament,  charitable  nature  towards 
others  who  are  doing  what  they  can  to  bring  up  a  stan- 
dard for  generations  to  follow. 

The  war  was  still  in  progress  when  my  husband 
decided  in  November,  1861,  to  return  to  California.  I 
had  been  away  from  home  four  years  and  had  enjoyed 
all  these  advantages  and  had  done  what  I  could  for  the 

53 


volunteers  who  had  fought  for  the  preservation  of  the 
Union.  There  were  great  surprise  and  murmurs  of  regret 
on  all  sides  when  Mr.  Blake  made  known  our  intention 
to  go  to  California.  He  was  one  of  the  tenors  and  very 
musical,  and  I  as  his  wife  shared  with  him  the  honors  in 
this  choir  of  thirty-five  voices.  We  had  become  such 
friends  it  was  like  parting  from  a  family.  Our  successful 
concerts  in  aid  of  the  soldiers,  the  many  Sabbaths  we 
worshiped  and  sang  together,  made  us  an  harmonious 
band  of  singers.  We  had  one  more  meeting  for  the  clubs 
and  choir  before  we  made  our  departure.  It  took  place 
on  November  31,  1861.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
snow  and  we  were  obliged  to  wear  rubber  boots  to 
be  able  to  get  on  at  all,  but  we  were  used  to  it  and  it 
mattered  not  to  us.  The  meeting  was  held  in  the  parlors 
of  the  church  instead  of  the  schoolrooms  as  was  our  wont. 
For  a  change  our  leader  said  we  would  have  an  im- 
promptu concert  in  the  church  choir  so  as  to  use  the 
organ.  Edwin  Bruce,  our  leader  and  instructor,  came 
from  Boston  and  brought  several  fine  singers  with  him. 
Mr.  Blake  and  I  were  asked  to  come  somewhat  earlier. 
On  arriving  at  the  church  we  found  quite  an  illumination 
in  the  parlors.  Choirmaster  Daniel  and  his  wife  were  the 
host  and  hostess  and  welcomed  us.  When  we  had  taken 
our  places  beside  them  the  church  doors  slowly  opened 
and  the  guests  arrived  two  by  two,  in  full  evening  cos- 
tume, and  we  received  them  until  all  had  welcomed  us. 
The  choir  formed  in  a  procession  and  wended  its  way  into 
the  gallery  which  was  darkened  save  for  one  or  two  lights 
so  we  could  see  to  reach  our  accustomed  places  in  the 
gallery.  When  all  were  in  their  places  and  our  organist, 
Charles  Capin,  began  playing  America,  Mr.  Bruce  tak- 
ing his  baton  and  position,  raised  it  and  the  lights  were 
turned  on  and  before  us  sat  the  congregation,  every  pew 
being  filled.  It  was  quite  a  moment  before  I  could  realize 
this  change  and  did  not  open  my  mouth  to  sing  a  note, 
for  I  was  so  bewildered.  At  last,  when  I  heard  all  were 
singing,  I  sang  and  cried  at  the  same  time,  for  I  realized 
this  great  kindness  had  been  prepared  for  us.  Great  was 
the  applause  when  we  had  finished  this  song.  We  sang 
until  ten  o'clock  some  of  our  best  choruses,  solos,  duets, 
trios,  etc.  We  concluded  with  "Viva  rAmerica,"  Miss 
Louisa  Adams  taking  the  solo  and  the  choir  the  chorus. 
Dr.  Burgess  spoke  tenderly  of  us,  strangers  from  far-off 
California  who  had  been  so  generous  with  our  voices  and 
help  these  four  years  and  wished  us  all  good  things  and 
a  safe  return  to  our  home  by  the  Golden  Gate.  We  were 

54 


then  dismissed  with  the  benediction.  Mr.  Daniel  had 
requested  us  to  take  our  places  in  the  parlors  and  an 
impromptu  reception  was  held  until  all  the  congregation 
had  bid  us  good-bye.  About  eleven  o'clock  only  the  choir  re- 
mained and  the  pastor  and  family.  The  Sabbath  school-room 
had  been  decorated  and  tables  were  spread  for  the  banquet 
which  had  been  prepared  by  loving  hands  and  through  the 
kindness  of  the  generous  congregation  that  appreciated 
our  services.  Three  surprises  in  one  evening  was  almost 
more  than  I  could  bear.  I  was  like  one  in  a  dream. 
After  refreshments  had  been  enjoyed,  Mr.  Edwin  Bruce 
came  forward  and  with  a  very  appropriate  speech 
placed  in  my  hand  an  album  filled  with  the  pictures  of 
the  choir,  leaders,  past  and  present,  director  and  organist. 
I  was  so  astonished  I  had  not  the  power  to  speak,  so  my 
husband,  who  stood  beside  me,  replied  to  the  giver  of 
such  a  beautiful  and  thoughtful  gift  to  us  who  were  to 
sever  the  bonds  of  friendship  and  song  after  these  four 
happy  years  together.  I  do  not  suppose  one  of  these 
beautiful  singers,  either  man  or  woman,  is  alive  today, 
but  I  shall  present  their  pictures  in  this  volume  as  a 
memorial  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  choirs  that  ever 
sang  together,  some  of  the  singers  for  sixteen  years,  and 
that  gladly  gave  its  best  for  the  Union  and  its  preserva- 
tion in  1861. 

After  we  had  severed  our  connection  with  the  choir 
in  Dedham,  Mr.  Blake  wound  up  relations  with  his  firm, 
Parker,  Barnes  &  Merriam,  on  Milk  street,  Boston ;  we 
reluctantly  gave  up  the  dear  old-fashioned  Taft  home, 
with  its  shade  trees  and  orchards  and  fine  kitchen  garden, 
where  we  had  passed  so  many  happy  years ;  we  said  good- 
bye to  our  lovely  neighbors  the  Adams,  and  Follensbee 
and  Bullard  families,  and  moved  to  Hersey  place,  Boston, 
to  remain  until  we  left  for  California,  February,  1862. 
We  took  the  same  route  I  had  taken  in  1851  and  were 
on  the  way  for  two  months.  But  things  had  changed  and 
the  scene  was  altogether  different.  Over  the  Chagres 
river  route  we  traveled  upon  the  rails  we  saw  being  laid 
when  we  came  over  in  1851.  The  trip  was  uneventful, 
only  that  I  was  ill  all  the  way,  but  being  young  and  hope- 
ful and  with  the  best  of  care,  I  once  more  came  safely 
into  San  Francisco  bay.  We  surprised  our  sister,  Mrs. 
W.  H.  Knight,  and  family,  who  lived  on  Fifth  and  Mar- 
ket streets.  Great  was  our  rejoicing  to  see  our  friends 
again.  After  a  week's  stay  we  left  them  for  our  old  home 
in  Stockton.  The  rain  had  been  severe,  the  creeks  and  rivers 
were  swollen,  and  we  had  a  wet  home  coming,  but  we 

55 


TUESDAY  EVENING,  MARCH  3d,  1863. 

HANDEL  &  HAYDN  SOCIETY 

WITH      FULL     ORCHESTRA. 

FIRST  PERFORMANCE  IN  CALIFORNIA 

-    O  V    - 

'js  tend  gramatw  <9ratori0: 


LAST  APPEARANCE  IN  ORATORIO  OF 


Samson Mr.  BAEN WELL 

Palila.  his  wift. , MISS  PARKER 

Micah,  his  friend, Mrs.  CUTLER 

Manoali,  his  father Mr.  SHATTUCK 

Israelitish  Messenger Mr.  PORTER 

Israelitish  Woman, 
Israelites. 

Girls  attending  Dalila  by  ten  young  ladies  of  the  Society. 

Harapha,  a  giant  of  Oath Mr.  WUNDERL1CH    f" 

Priest  of  Dagon Mr.  CLARK 

Philistine  Women Mrs.  CAMERON  and  Mrs.  TAYLOR 

Philistines 

Organist  to  the  Society, GUSTAVE  A.  SCOTT. 

TO  COMMENCE  PBOMPTLY  AT  EIGHT  O'CLOCK., 

_PL ATT'S     MIJSIC     HALL ! 

Subtcribcri  to  Rrarntcl  Soots  tuny  »cciirt  lh<ro  S.ilunlljr  pi\vlou«.  >l  Oray'i  Mude  Store.     Oibtr 

M»n  o\loik.  M  H  will  tlico  dote  auJ  ihc  from  4o«r  opvn 

Seat,  will  b*  found  ty  •  ttivtbod.  Dew  »n<i  tusily  coinprrhcn.lKl  .  for  sample.— Chock  R.  G  .S.  3. 1, 
refer*  lo  Ripht  O»ltery  2d  Si-vuon.  couutin^  from  the-  rfnlr»l  liuo  belwri-n  tbt  two  galltrie*,  third  row 
from  front,  fifth  »TOL  L  F  5.  3.  reff  r.  to  Left  Sfclion  ol  loner  floor,  fifth  Row  from  the  front,  third  Seat 
counting  from  the  central  *ul«.  Al  each  row  coiuiitl  of  4  H-HI-CI  of  five  K«t»  eoch.  No  20  »U1  be  at  the 
further  tod 

It,-l..-.ir.al«  *t  the  Ball  Friday  and  Monday,  ut  2PM..  the  lalreraO^lcli  ougtit  to  be  fullr  atteuded 

x^«      TICKETS, SO  Cents. 

The  Gnend  PUno  U  from  Chickerlng,  kmdlj  louied  by  Mr.  Badsar. 


A  sample  programme  of  the  early  Sixties. 
56 


found  the  family  in  waiting  to  greet  us.  It  was  soon 
noised  about  that  the  Blakes  had  come  home  from  Boston 
and  we  had  no  end  of  greetings  and  rejoicings.  The  rain 
still  came  down  and  by  May  we  were  in  dread  of  a  flood, 
which  later  came  to  pass.  Water  was  everywhere.  We  were 
on  the  highest  point  in  the  city,  and  before  we  were  aware 
of  it  we  had  sixteen  inches  of  water  in  our  house.  On 
May  24th  Dr.  Grattin  was  called  to  our  home  and  he 
came  in  a  skiff  and  rowed  to  the  door,  pointing  the  bow 
into  the  parlor  door  and  then  stepping  out  into  sixteen 
inches  of  water.  Provided  with  rubber  leggings,  he  waded 
to  the  stairs  where  mother  awaited  him  with  dry  slippers 
and  assisted  him  to  my  room.  On  May  25th  my  second 
son,  William  Ellery  Blake,  was  born.  Both  boys  are 
native  sons  of  California  and  born  in  the  home  that  was 
built  in  1852.  The  first  family  dwelling,  built  fifty-nine 
years  ago,  is  still  standing  as  the  homestead  on  San 
Joaquin  street,  Stockton,  and  apparently  will  be  a  suitable 
dwelling  for  many  more  years  to  come. 

After  my  son  was  three  months  old  Mr.  Blake  obtained 
a  position  in  J.  C.  Johnson's  saddle  and  harness  business 
as  expert  bookkeeper  and  first  salesman.  We  then  left  the 
old  home  and  moved  to  San  Francisco  in  the  latter  part 
of  August  and  moved  into  the  house  owned  by  Dr.  Calif. 
He  had  recently  died  and  his  widow  did  not  wish  to 
occupy  this  large  house  alone  or  desire  the  care  of  it. 
She  arranged  with  us  to  take  two  large  rooms  and  the 
remainder  of  the  house  was  at  our  disposal.  We  were 
glad  to  have  such  a  home.  The  rent  was  cheap  and  every- 
thing was  furnished  just  as  it  had  been  when  Dr.  Calif 
was  alive.  We  occupied  this  home  until  1864,  when  Mr. 
Ben  Smith  made  a  proposition  to  have  Mr.  Blake  take 
the  superintendent's  place  at  the  San  Lorenzo  Paper  Mill, 
about  three  or  four  miles  from  Santa  Cruz.  The  company 
had  built  a  six-room  cottage  and  furnished  it  completely 
for  us,  should  we  decide  to  go.  The  large  house  was 
built  for  Mr.  Sime  and  his  family  as  a  summer  home  for 
them.  It  was  an  ideal  spot  to  live.  The  long  flume  ran 
along  for  miles.  The  river  was  dammed  and  the  overflow 
made  a  beautiful  waterfall.  The  hills  were  covered  with 
chaparral  and  pine  trees  and  wild  flowers  galore.  The 
powder  works  were  situated  about  a  mile  above  us.  The 
road  ran  about  fifty  feet  from  the  cottage  and,  although 
we  were  among  the  hills,  it  was  a  busy  place.  Ox  teams 
were  constantly  passing.  The  large  cook  house  was  below 
and  the  paper  mill  buildings  were  near  at  hand.  About 
150  men,  constantly  going  from  one  place  to  another  in 

57 


their  departments,  made  us  feel  we  were  not  alone.  There 
was  fine  fishing-  in  the  pool  below  the  falls.  The  salmon 
would  come  up  the  creek  from  the  ocean  and  the  finest 
ones  found  their  way  into  the  pool,  and  on  Friday  the 
cook  and  his  men  supplied  the  tables  with  fresh  fish.  How 
many  times  have  I  seen  those  fine  fish,  caught  on  the 
prongs  of  a  spear,  writhe  and  wriggle  to  get  off.  At  first 
I  could  not  taste  them,  I  felt  so  sorry  to  see  them  killed 
in  that  way.  I  would  not  go  out  on  Friday  until  after 
the  fishing  was  done.  The  lamper  eels  crawled  up  the 
stream  and  the  men  gathered  them  by  the  barrels  full 
and  made  oil  from  them. 

I  had  a  Jersey  cow  and  a  fine  milk  house  with  a 
stream  of  cold  water  running  through.  I  made  my  own 
butter  and  had  enough  to  supply  the  Sime  family  when 
they  spent  their  summer  there.  The  lovely  moonlight 
nights  on  this  fine  sheet  of  water  above  the  dam  are  with 
me  now,  and  how  the  hills  resounded  with  our  songs  as 
we  rowed  along.  I  had  a  fine  horse  and  carriage,  and  it 
was  great  sport  to  go  to  town  with  our  splendid  Jim,  as 
we  called  him.  Those  were  happy  times.  The  children 
had  the  best  of  air  and  full  play  among  the  hills.  We 
remained  two  years  when  Mr.  Blake's  eyes  became  in- 
flamed from  the  fumes  of  the  lime  used  to  rot  the  straw, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  place  and  change  once 
more. 


58 


CHAPTER  SIX 


SANTA  CRUZ  IN  THE  SIXTIES.     WHY  I  BECAME  A  DRESSMAKER. 
OPERA.      MUSIC  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO  IN  THE  SEVENTIES 

E  HAD  become  attached  to  Santa  Cruz  and  con- 
cluded to  live  there  and  begin  some  kind  of 
business.  When  our  time  had  expired  at  the 
mill,  Mr.  Blake  had  found  a  convenient  store. 
He  was  well  known  and  had  been  chief  sales- 
man for  J.  C.  Johnson  &  Bros.,  saddle  and  harness 
dealers  on  Market  street,  San  Francisco,  and  later  he 
was  employed  by  Main  &  Winchester  in  the  same  busi- 
ness. He  was  able  to  get  his  stock  and  start  under 
fine  auspices.  It  was  not  long  before  everything  looked 
prosperous  for  us.  Since  we  were  both  musical,  Mr.  Blake 
having  a  fine  lyric  tenor  voice  and  also  playing  the  piano, 
we  were  soon  the  center  of  musical  attraction.  We 
found  other  voices  also  that  were  of  the  right  sort, 
and  it  was  not  many  months  before  the  music  of  Santa 
Cruz  was  recognized  and  appreciated.  Mrs.  Eliza  Boston, 
a  fine  dramatic  soprano,  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  Boston, 
a  wealthy  business  man,  and  sang  only  for  her  friends  and 
church,  which  was  her  pleasure,  but  she  was  also  kind 
when  any  necessity  presented  itself.  She  cheerfully  did 
her  part,  especially  for  the  Calvary  Episcopal  Church  of 
which  she  was  a  devout  member.  The  rector,  Rev.  Giles 
A.  Easton,  one  of  the  pioneer  ministers  of  the  church, 
appreciated  her  talent  in  the  assistance  she  gave  to  the 
music  in  those  early  days  of  California  when  music  was 
so  hard  to  obtain. 

What  happy  days  were  these  to  us  who  loved  music 
and  sang  for  the  love  of  it  and  for  the  little  church  that 
stands  today  covered  with  ivy,  planted  when  Mrs.  Boston 
and  I  sang  together  in  the  choir.  On  high  days  we  were 
able  to  procure  the  assistance  of  some  fine  voices  of  the 
men  singers,  Samuel  Sharp,  basso;  Rollins  Case,  tenor; 
Charles  Metti,  tenor  soloist.  There  was  no  salary  in 
those  days  for  our  services.  We  did  it  all  as  God's 
work  and  it  mattered  not  what  creed.  Wherever  we 
were  needed  our  services  were  liberally  given.  Rev. 
P.  Y.  Cool  was  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  and 

59 


I  aided  his  church  for  many  months  and  had  fine  sup- 
port from  Mr.  Ossian  Auld,  one  of  God's  voices  sent  on 
earth  to  give  us  a  taste  of  what  was  in  store  for  us  in 
the  Choir  Invisible.  How  we  sang  together  can  only 
be  appreciated  by  those  who  worshiped  and  heard  the 
voices,  who  by  nature  were  created  with  the  musical  tem- 
perament that  sings.  I  never  heard  but  one  more  tenor  of 
that  nature  during  my  singing  life  in  California  and  of  him 
I  will  speak  later,  for  it  was  after  I  returned  to  San  Fran- 
cisco that  I  had  the  pleasure  to  be  in  the  choir  and  sing 
with  the  dearly  beloved  Joe  Maguire.  While  I  remained 
in  Santa  Cruz  I  sang  for  Dr.  Frear's  church,  also  the 
Unitarian  Church  of  which  the  pastor,  Dr.  Ames,  and  his 
good  wife  were  fine  musicians.  In  the  Presbyterian  Church 
we  found  Mr.  Fred  Anthony,  a  tenor,  who  was  one  of 
the  useful  tenors,  and  reliable  young  men  workers  in  the 
church.  He  came  to  California  in  1854,  a  son  of  the  Wm. 
Anthony  family,  composed  of  musicians.  Miss  Louisa 
Anthony  was  the  organist  of  the  church.  The  civil  war 
was  not  yet  at  an  end  and  money  was  needed  for  the 
wounded  and  the  suffering  in  hospitals  and  the  Christian 
commission  was  in  need  of  funds  to  carry  on  the  good 
work  of  relief.  All  who  were  able  and  had  voices  or 
dramatic  talent  were  called  upon  to  assist  in  the  good 
work;  consequently  many  entertainments  were  given  in 
aid  of  this  cause.  Young  and  old  who  had  talent  were 
enlisted  and  there  was  no  lack  of  enthusiasm,  for  the 
cause  appealed  to  all  who  were  patriotic  and  in  sympathy 
with  the  boys  in  blue  who  were  still  marching,  fighting 
and  dying  for  our  beloved  land.  Those  who  were  fore- 
most in  the  good  work  during  these  trying  times  are 
worthy  of  having  their  names  enrolled  in  this  history  of 
California's  early  days  as  actors  for  good  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  state,  upholding  the  government  and  assisting 
in  the  building  of  churches  and  other  institutions  that 
have  made  our  State  the  Queen  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  I 
feel  proud  that  I  can  place  on  the  roll  of  honor  such 
names  as  the  following  men  and  women  singers,  dramatic 
performers  and  excellent  musicians : 

VOCALISTS. 

Auld,  Ossian,  tenor  Finkeldey,  W.,  tenor 

Anthony,  Frederick,  tenor  Grove,  Mr.,  bass 

Anthony,  Louisa,  soprano  Kittridge,  Miss,  soprano 

Blake,  Geo.  H.,  tenor  Miller,  Chas.  M.,  tenor 

Boston,  Mrs.  Eliza,  dramatic  so-  Metti,  Chas.,  tenor 

prano  Pringle,  Wm.,  bass 

Blake,  Mrs.  M.  R.,  mezzo  contralto  Pioda,  Mrs.  Marv  Emma,  soprano 

60 


F.  A.  Anthony  Charles  A.  Metti  Belle  Peterson 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  SANTA  CRUZ  CHOIR,   1867 


Battersby,  Mr.,  tenor  Sharp,  Samuel,  basso  prof  undo 

Bender,  Edward,  bass  Steel,  Miss  Ella,  contralto 

Baily,  Miss  Lorena,  soprano  Wilson,  Mr.,  bass 

Case,  Rollin,  tenor  Williams,  Miss,  soprano 

INSTRUMENTALISTS. 

Bender,  Edward,  piano  Sheppherd,  Prof.,  piano 

Emerson,  Prof.,  violin  (leader)  Woodbridge,  Miss  Abbe,  piano 

Grove,  Mr.,  violin  Cooper,  Miss  May,  piano 

Hihn,  Kate,  piano  Wilson,  Prof.,  violin 

Jones,  John  M.,  violin  (leader  of  Waldron,  Mr.,  piano 

Santa  Cruz  Cornet  Band)  Swanton,  Mr.  E.,  piano 

McCann,  Miss  Pearl,  piano  Kirby,  Mr.  G.,  piano 

Pioda,  Prof.  Paul,   flute  Foreman,  Mr.  J.,  piano 

Rotier,  Miss,  piano  Smith,  Miss  M.,  piano 

DRAMATIC  TALENT. 

Ames,  Rev.  Carpenter,  Miss  Mattie 

Ames,  Mrs.  Root,  Miss  May 

Binny,  I.  Metti,  Charles 

Baldwin,  Mrs.  Fanny  Stanton,  Miss  Eleanor 

Bittner,  Miss  A.  Swanton,  E. 

Cooper,  Miss  May  Root,  E. 

Cooper,  Retta  Blake,  Mrs.  M.  R. 

Our  programmes  were  of  the  highest  order,  the  voices 
pure  and  full  without  this  abominable  tremolo  which  is 
unknown  to  a  person  who  knows  how  to  sing  correctly 
and  naturally.  Occasionally  we  had  the  assistance  of 
some  of  the  singers  and  players  from  San  Francisco,  who 
came  for  the  summer  outing,  and  they  thought  it  great 
sport  to  add  their  gifts  when  called  upon  to  help  the 
country  girls  and  boys,  but  they  did  not  get  far  in  their 
fun  before  they  found  they  would  need  all  their  knowl- 
edge and  do  their  best  or  else  let  the  seaside  talent  out- 
strip them.  We  were  called  upon  from  time  to  time 
during  my  stay  from  1864  to  help  different  denominations 
in  their  work.  Old  folks'  concerts,  sacred  concerts,  fairs 
and  donation  parties  were  the  usual  efforts  of  those  early 
days.  There  were  no  other  places  of  amusement.  Some- 
times, at  rare  intervals,  there  was  a  show  of  some  kind 
in  Otto's  Hall,  a  place  that  would  hold  250  people.  Who- 
ever they  were,  they  could  not  give  as  much  pleasure  as 
our  own  home  talent,  consequently  they  were  not  encour- 
aged to  repeat  the  visit.  Mr.  Blake  continued  his  busi- 
ness successfully,  I  supposed,  until  towards  the  close  of 
the  year  1868.  He  became  despondent  and  I  could  see 
trouble  was  brewing.  He  never  brought  his  business 
home,  so  I  was  ignorant  of  anything  in  regard  to  its 
standing.  In  early  years  he  had  much  to  do  with  mining 
stocks  and  still  held  some  that  he  thought  would  be  profit- 

61 


able.  The  four  years  we  were  in  Boston  he  held  much 
stock  and  that  was  one  reason  we  left,  so  he  could  be 
nearer  and  in  touch  with  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  market. 
I  was  not  aware  of  all  this,  and  when  the  crisis  came  I 
was  unprepared  for  the  result.  The  money  he  made  in 
the  store  went  to  keep  up  the  margins,  and  changes  in 
the  market.  At  last  the  door  of  his  store  was  closed  and 
we  were  penniless  and  saw  no  way  out  of  it. 

I  being  always  hopeful,  it  was  for  me  to  raise  the 
drooping  spirits  and  advise  means  of  action.  I  left  for 
San  Francisco  with  the  younger  boy  and  Mr.  Blake 
remained  with  the  elder  to  straighten  out  his  affairs  as 
well  as  possible.  I  took  my  sewing  machine  with  me  and 
intended  to  retrieve  the  family  fortune  with  my  voice  and 
my  needle.  I  came  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  John  Clough,  a 
friend,  on  Third  street,  between  Market  and  Mission.  Her 
husband  was  a  fine  tenor  singer  and  I  knew  she  would 
help  me  get  something  to  do.  I  was  there  but  a  few  weeks 
when  the  Lyster  Opera  Troupe  came  from  Australia  and 
began  singing  at  the  old  Metropolitan  theater  on  Mont- 
gomery street.  I  was  one  of  the  300  members  of  the 
Handel  and  Hayden  Society,  which  was  called  upon  by 
Mr.  F.  Lyster  for  voices  for  the  chorus.  A  leading  con- 
tralto and  a  soprano  were  in  the  troupe.  Mrs.  Cameron 
and  I  were  chosen  after  the  voices  were  tried  and  accepted. 
I  had  no  trouble  as  I  had  studied  the  choruses  of  most  of 
the  familiar  operas.  I  also  knew  many  of  the  contralto 
arias,  like  Perlate  de  Amour  in  Faust  and  other  con- 
tralto numbers  of  the  different  operas  that  we  gave.  I 
was  engaged  at  $20  per  week,  which  seemed  to  me  a 
fabulous  sum,  for  I  was  without  any  means.  These  were 
strenuous  days,  sometimes  fourteen  hours  in  the  theatre 
a  day,  singing  one  opera  and  practicing  a  new  one.  I  was 
not  unhappy  as  I  was  doing  something  to  help  along  the 
good  work  of  regaining  our  footing  and  I  worked  will- 
ingly, but  the  operas  of  Norma,  Les  Huguenots,  Faust, 
Aida  were  heavy  and  required  long  rehearsals,  the  the- 
ater was  damp  and  cold  and  sometimes  I  wished  my- 
self out  of  it.  After  singing  in  ten  heavy  operas  I  caught 
cold  and  was  obliged  to  stop,  much  to  the  disap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Lyster,  as  he  had  hoped  to  take  me 
with  the  troupe.  But  I  was  too  ill  and  besides  my  sons 
were  too  small  to  leave  them  behind,  so  I  canceled  my 
engagement  and  closed  my  career  in  opera. 

Before  I  recovered,  Mr.  Blake  had  settled  as  best  he 
could  and  left  me  to  go  to  Reno,  where  his  stocks  were, 
to  see  if  anything  could  be  saved  at  all.  When  he  re- 

62 


turned  after  three  months'  absence  I  had  taken  the  upper 
part  of  the  house  at  the  corner  of  O'Farrell  and  Stockton 
streets,  and  with  what  furniture  I  still  possessed  I  started 
to  rent  rooms.  I  had  also  gotten  the  choir  position  as 
alto  in  St.  Patrick's  church  on  Market  street,  on  the  lot 
where  the  Palace  Hotel  now  stands.  While  employed 
there  a  church  was  being  built  on  Mission  street,  where 
it  now  stands.  When  the  basement  of  the  new  church 
was  finished  the  congregation  was  moved  to  Mission 
street,  and  we  worshiped  in  the  basement  until  the  main 
church  was  finished.  I  had  one  room  left  to  rent  where  I 
was  on  O'Farrell  street  when  one  day,  to  my  surprise 
on  answering  the  bell,  Mr.  William  Kitts  of  the  opera 
troupe  called  to  rent  a  room.  He  was  a  splendid  bass 
singer  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  him,  as  I  had 
supposed  he  had  left  with  the  company.  He  wished  to 
rest  for  a  year.  He  had  never  seen  America  and  would 
remain  until  the  troupe  returned  in  another  year.  He  was 
as  fine  a  man  as  he  was  a  singer ;  in  fact,  all  the  principals 
of  the  troupe  were  fine  people.  They  were  Madam  Lucy 
Escott,  the  soprano;  Henry  Squires,  tenor;  Mr.  Baker, 
the  lyric  tenor,  with  a  most  beautiful  voice;  and  Mr. 
Kitts,  the  basso  profundo.  Before  these  people  went  away 
I  sang  many  times  with  them  in  concert.  They  gave  a 
sacred  concert  in  Pacific  Hall,  on  California  street,  in 
1869.  We  sang  the  Trio,  te  Prago,  Escott,  Blake, 
Squires  for  one  number.  Madam  was  so  pleased  with 
my  singing  she  kissed  me  and  gave  me  her  copy  of  the 
song  after  writing  her  name  on  it.  Mr.  Squires  said  it 
was  by  far  the  best  combination  for  the  trio  that  he  had 
ever  made.  The  first  time  I  ever  sang  this  trio  was  in 
1859  in  Tremont  Temple  with  Louisa  Adams,  soprano, 
Edwin  Bruce,  tenor,  and  myself,  contralto.  Miss  Adams 
was  a  prima  donna  of  that  time.  I  had  always  received 
great  praise  for  my  work  in  this  trio. 

I  remained  a  year  in  the  house  on  O'Farrell  street, 
and  as  I  knew  I  could  do  better  with  more  rooms  I 
moved  into  a  two-story  house  on  Powell  street,  near  the 
corner  of  Broadway,  when  Mr.  Kitts  went  to  Australia. 
Mr.  Blake  had  returned  from  Reno  and  was  employed 
at  Main  &  Winchester's  on  Sansome  street.  Mr.  Goodwin, 
the  furniture  dealer,  furnished  the  house  with  $1,100 
worth  of  furniture  and  I  began  to  help  lessen  the  burden 
already  so  heavy.  Youth  was  in  my  favor,  being  now 
thirty-four  years  old.  The  children  were  at  school  and 
I  still  held  my  church  position  and  began  to  sing  at  con- 
certs and  entertainments.  My  rooms  were  filled  with  tjje 

63 


best  of  roomers  and  my  house  brought  me  in  $65  over 
my  rent  which  was  also  $65  a  month.  I  had  no  piano 
and  no  place  for  one,  as  the  children  and  I  slept  in  the 
kitchen.  I  had  given  up  every  available  room  to  make 
the  house  pay.  Mrs.  Dr.  Howard  permitted  me  to  use 
her  piano,  so  after  the  work  was  done  I  was  obliged  to 
walk  nine  blocks  to  practice  each  day.  When  I  thought 
everything  was  going  all  right  Mr.  Blake  began  to  act 
strangely.  The  failure  had  affected  him  more  than  he 
let  me  know,  and  he  was  so  stunned  by  the  blow  that  he 
had  plunged  us  into  poverty  and  it  weighed  so  on  his 
mind  that  Dr.  H.  L.  Baldwin  advised  a  sea  voyage.  So 
we  wrote  to  his  brother  who  was  in  Melbourne  to  expect 
him  on  a  certain  ship.  All  was  favorable  and  he  sailed 
away  the  latter  part  of  1869.  His  brain  was  softening 
and  there  was  no  hope  for  him  if  he  remained.  After 
weeks  of  sailing  he  arrived  safely  in  Melbourne.  He  so 
far  recovered  that  he  was  able  to  accept  a  position  as 
expert  in  the  Omnibus  railway  office  which  he  filled  for 
one  year  and  a  half.  In  the  meantime  I  had  been  able 
to  pay  for  all  the  furniture,  through  my  roomers  and 
singing  and  sewing,  but  the  large  house  was  too  much  for 
me,  with  sewing  until  twelve  at  night,  and  I  concluded  to 
take  a  smaller  house  and  called  on  Mr.  George  Lamson, 
the  auctioneer.  He  was  Nance  O'Neil's  father  and  she 
was  then  a  little  girl.  I  selected  what  furniture  I  needed 
for  the  house  on  Washington  street  and  he  sold  the  rest. 
Four  of  the  best  roomers  went  with  me  to  the  new  house, 
so  I  was  sure  I'd  not  fail  for  awhile  at  least. 

All  these  months  of  toil  I  had  received  one  bill  after 
another  from  different  men  and  business  houses.  When 
they  came  for  money  I  told  them  I  did  not  have  a  dollar, 
only  what  I  earned,  but  that  if  the  bills  were  correct,  I 
would  settle  them  as  fast  as  I  could  earn  the  money. 
I  determined  to  pay  all  of  Mr.  Blake's  indebtedness, 
rather  than  there  should  be  a  blot  upon  his  name  or 
honor,  and  also  for  the  sake  of  his  two  sons  who  had 
their  lives  to  live.  I  had  been  sewing  for  Mrs.  Letitia 
Ralph,  the  dressmaker,  who  gave  me  the  children's  clothes 
to  make  after  she  had  fitted  and  basted  them  up  for  me. 
I  had  my  own  boys  so  beautifully  clad  she  wanted  to 
know  who  made  their  clothes.  She  proposed  that  if  I 
would  make  the  children's  clothing  she  would  prepare  the 
work  for  me.  After  my  work  of  the  day  was  over  and 
all  the  family  slept  I  sewed  until  midnight.  After  I  had 
moved  to  Washington  street,  I  bought  one  of  the  Ralph 
charts  and  perfected  myself  in  the  art  of  cutting  and 

64 


OS 


fitting.  I  had  been  but  two  months  in  the  new  place 
when  one  of  my  roomers  got  married,  to  my  sorrow,  for 
that  meant  another  empty  room  with  the  two  parlors 
which  had  never  been  rented.  My  heart  sank  within  me 
for  I  was  doubtful  as  to  the  outcome  of  the  new  de- 
parture. My  usual  courage  left  me  and  I  was  at  my  wits' 
end  as  to  how  to  continue.  As  I  sat  by  the  machine  I 
realized  the  situation  and  I  laid  my  head  on  the  machine 
and  the  pent-up  tears  at  last  came  to  my  relief.  While  in 
this  state  I  felt  a  presence  in  the  room  and  on  looking  up 
I  saw  the  dear  friend  of  my  youth,  Mrs.  Sue  Bird,  stand- 
ing quietly  by  me,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  It  was  the 
first  time  she  had  ever  seen  me  in  tears  through  the 
whole  distressing  time  of  the  last  two  or  three  years.  I 
told  her  I  did  not  know  where  to  commence  and  for  once 
in  my  life  I  was  discouraged.  Before  she  departed  our 
plans  were  laid  and  the  next  day  her  machine  came  to 
the  house  with  a  lot  of  new  goods  that  she  wanted  to 
make  up  for  herself  and  children.  We  put  a  machine  on 
each  side  of  the  bay  window.  I  made  some  signs  during 
the  day  and  put  them  in  the  windows.  We  decorated  the 
windows  with  the  new  goods,  a  fish  globe,  a  hanging 
basket  of  ferns,  a  wire  model  and  placed  upon  it  one  of 
my  concert  dresses.  We  draped  the  lace  curtains  back 
and  the  window  looked  stunning  and  very  businesslike. 
I  arranged  my  cutting  table  and  had  Harper's  Bazaar  and 
other  fashion  plates  and  Butterick  patterns  on  the  shelves. 
Our  signs  in  the  window  read:  "Children's  clothing  neatly 
done  and  made  to  order."  Our  dressmaking  parlors  were 
in  full  swing  and  in  apple-pie  order.  All  we  lacked  were 
the  customers,  so  we  sat  at  the  machines  and  sewed  until 
the  third  day,  hoping  to  have  some  one  come,  yet  dread- 
ing to  see  them,  for  fear  we  would  fail  in  our  efforts. 
We  watched  people  passing  all  day  long,  going  and  com- 
ing and  stopping  to  look  at  the  new  place.  At  last,  on 
the  fifth  day,  a  lady  with  a  bundle  came  in  at  the  gate, 
and  my  heart  beat  with  excitement.  When  I  opened  the 
door  a  gentle  little  woman  asked  if  I  was  the  dressmaker, 
and  I  told  her  yes  and  bade  her  enter.  She  unfolded 
her  bundle  and  told  me  what  she  wanted.  I  found  myself 
talking  and  planning  as  if  I  had  made  dresses  for  a 
number  of  years.  It  was  her  wedding  dress  of  dove- 
colored  silk  and  she  wanted  me  to  make  a  dress  of  it  for 
her  twelve-year-old  daughter,  with  an  addition  of  three 
yards  of  blue  to  match.  I  told  her  I  could  make  a  beauti- 
ful child's  dress,  a  very  suitable  and  pretty  combination. 
The  next  day  the  girl  was  measured  and  the  dress  began 

65 


and  by  the  end  of  the  week  it  was  to  be  tried  on.  When 
the  dress  was  done  she  was  so  pleased  that  I  did  her 
work  as  long  as  I  was  in  the  business  of  dressmaking, 
which  lasted  ten  years.  This  was  the  beginning. 

After  Airs.  Bird  had  started  me  she  was  obliged  to 
go  to  her  home,  so  I  advertised  for  a  forewoman.  The 
next  day  I  engaged  a  competent  woman,  Airs.  Sheek  from 
Nevada.  She  brought  her  sewing  machine  and  was  well 
up  in  the  ideas  and  ways  of  a  shop.  She  saw  right  away 
I  was  new  in  the  art,  but  she  and  I  soon  understood  what 
was  needed.  In  one  month  things  went  with  such 
perfect  system  we  were  able  to  take  in  all  the  work  that 
was  brought  to  us.  Our  window  was  always  dressed  and 
the  figure  robed  in  the  last  garment  finished,  and  we  were 
becoming  so  popular  I  was  obliged  to  get  more  help. 
Before  the  year  was  out  I  had  ten  girls  constantly  em- 
ployed and  three  machines  running  all  the  time.  These 
were  busy  days,  what  with  concerts,  singing  in  churches  and 
at  funerals,  rehearsals,  dressmaking  and  roomers.  I  also 
made  costumes  of  singers  and  actresses  who  heard  of  my 
ability.  When  singing,  my  costumes  attracted  attention  and  I 
received  many  customers  who  were  struck  by  my  gowns. 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Bowers,  the  famous  actress,  sent  for  me  at  the 
Palace  and  ordered  her  costumes  for  Amy  Robsart,  also 
other  costumes  and  dominos.  Emilie  Melville  was  my 
customer  for  her  concert  and  opera  robes;  so  was  Mme. 
Mulder  and  Mme.  Elezer.  I  made  the  robes  for  Signora 
Bianchi  in  the  opera  of  "Norma,"  for  Mrs.  Tom  Breese 
and  Mrs.  Nick  Kittle.  Mrs.  Tom  Maguire  and  Mrs.  Mark 
McDonald  were  regular  customers  for  years.  Mrs.  May- 
nard,  a  wealthy  banker's  wife,  who  lived  on  Bush  street, 
and  her  daughters  justly  appreciated  my  work,  and  I 
found  in  Mrs.  Maynard  a  lifelong  friend.  I  continued  in 
this  busy  way,  always  hearing  good  news  of  the  improve- 
ment in  my  husband  in  Melbourne.  He  had  been  gone 
now  a  year  and  a  half  and  I  had  received  encouraging 
letters  from  him  and  at  last  he  informed  me  he  would 
come  soon  and  take  me  and  the  boys  to  Melbourne  to 
live.  All  the  time  he  was  gone  I  had  been  paying  off  this 
tremendous  amount  of  indebtedness  of  his  failure,  and 
keeping  it  as  a  secret  from  him  so  as  to  surprise  him 
when  he  arrived.  I  was  fully  established  and  my  church 
and  concert  music  was  all  I  could  ask  for.  My  old  spirit 
came  back  and  I  was  happy  to  know  I  had  been  able  to 
help  my  husband  through  this  $30,000  failure  which  had 
been  such  a  blow  to  his  pride  and  ambition  and  had 
brought  distress  to  his  family.  I  received  a  letter  that 

66 


he  was  coming  on  a  certain  steamer,  and  the  boys  and  I 
were  doing  all  we  could  to  have  the  home-coming  com- 
plete. George  was  now  fifteen  years  old  and  William 
eleven.  They  had  been  going  to  school  and  had  been  pro- 
moted each  year  and  would  have  much  to  tell  their  father, 
himself  a  man  of  letters  and  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. His  desire  was  that  the  boys  should  excel,  as  had 
all  the  Blakes,  Lincolns  and  Sargents  before  them. 

Each  of  these  old  and  highly  honored  families  of 
Massachusetts  had  celebrated  men  among  them,  and  they 
honored  their  forefathers  and  tried  to  emulate  their 
achievements  and  keep  up  the  literary  standard  of  the 
Sargents,  the  military  dignity  of  their  great-grandfather, 
Major  Benjamin  Lincoln  of  revolutionary  fame,  who  took 
the  sword  from  Cornwallis  and  handed  it  to  his  general, 
George  Washington;  Eps  Sargent,  the  great  writer  of 
books,  poetry  and  the  song,  "The  Life  on  the  Ocean 
Wave,"  one  of  the  famous  songs  of  the  time.  These  men 
were  the  next  of  kin,  and  we  were  justly  proud  of  the 
connection  and  tried  to  uphold  our  side  of  the  family 
honor  as  well  as  it  was  possible  for  us  of  this  generation 
to  accomplish.  The  days  were  counted  and  each  evening 
we  were  happy  in  the  recital  of  our  part  that  was  expected 
of  us  when  father  returned.  Only  a  short  time  remained 
to  us  who  were  awaiting  his  coming.  At  last  we  were 
rewarded  by  the  arrival  of  the  ship  which  was  expected 
to  bring  our  father,  and  the  week  had  nearly  passed. 
On  the  fourth  day  a  messenger  from  the  ship  came  with 
a  letter  from  the  captain  that  George  L.  Blake  was 
dead  and  buried,  in  a  foreign  land,  with  honors  suitable 
to  the  man  who  had  won  for  himself  the  respect  of  all 
who  knew  him  in  the  city  of  Melbourne.  The  railroad 
offices  were  closed,  the  American  flag  at  half  mast,  and 
men  with  uncovered  heads  marched  behind  the  hearse 
that  bore  the  remains  of  their  distinguished  member,  the 
American  gentleman  from  California,  to  his  last  resting 
place.  Our  sorrow  was  too  great  to  be  realized,  even 
after  reading  the  letter  from  the  rector  who  had  read  the 
funeral  service  over  the  dead,  and  who  explained  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  sudden  death  and  told  of  the  sorrow 
of  his  comrades  and  the  officers  of  the  company  who  so 
honored  him  in  a  strange  land.  He  had  in  a  short  time 
won  their  esteem  by  his  courteous  and  gentlemanly  bear- 
ing towards  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him. 

This  was  the  sad  message  and  the  end  of  our  bright 
hopes  for  the  future.  The  burden  must  now  be  borne 
alone  with  two  children  to  educate  and  this  great  indebted- 

67 


ness  on  my  own  shoulders  to  pay,  until  all  was  done  to 
honor  his  name  and  that  of  his  sons.  I  saw  no  other  way 
but  to  work  and  keep  busy.  After  several  days  my  plans 
were  mapped  out  and  I  began  to  plan  how  to  enlarge 
my  business  and  still  continue  with  my  music.  When  it 
became  known  that  this  sorrow  had  come  to  me,  I  never 
lacked  for  friends,  and  in  a  short  time  I  became  so  busy 
I  had  no  time  to  repine.  After  a  year  I  needed  more 
room,  so  I  removed  to  404  Post  street,  near  the  corner 
of  Powell,  into  a  cottage  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Simons. 
It  was  nearer  town  than  on  Washington  and  Stockton 
streets.  In  a  few  days  work  went  on  as  usual.  Three 
of  my  permanent  roomers  went  with  me.  For  four  years 
I  lived  here,  when  Mr.  Simons  sold  the  house  and  I 
was  obliged  to  vacate.  I  found  small  rooms  on  O'Farrell 
street  and  continued  my  work  without  cessation  until  the 
beginning  of  1875.  During  these  years  at  404  Post  street 
I  sang  in  the  St.  John's  Presbyterian  Church,  Post  street. 
The  organists  during  this  time  were  George  T.  Evans, 
later  Frederick  Katzenbach.  The  singers  were:  Vernon 
Lincoln,  tenor;  Joseph  Maguire,  tenor;  C.  Makin,  basso; 
Mrs.  Robert  Moore,  soprano ;  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto.  Later 
I  resigned  and  went  for  the  second  time  to  St.  Patrick's 
Church  and  remained  there  altogether  ten  years.  The  organ- 
ist and  director  was  J.  H.  Dohrmann.  The  choir  re- 
mained the  same  during  that  time.  We  had  the  best  talent 
that  could  be  obtained  and  the  music  we  sang  was  ex- 
tremely difficult.  The  sopranos  were  the  best  available. 
Among  the  singers  were : 

Mr.  Brown,  tenor  Mr.  Yarndley,  basso 

Sig.  Bianchi,  tenor  Miss  Louisa  Tourney,  soprano 

Sig.  G.  Mancusi,  tenor  Mrs.  Urig,  soprano 

Karl  Formes,  basso  Mrs.  Young,  soprano 

Sig.  Morly,  basso  Mrs.  Taylor,  soprano 

Sig.  Reuling,  baritone  Mme.  Brandel,  soprano 

Sig.  Meize,  baritone  Signora  Bianchi,  soprano 

Mr.  Fuchs,  basso  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto 

Mr.  Schnabel,  basso  Ella  Steel,  alto 

Mr.  Stockmyer,  basso 


68 


Sam'l  D.  Mayer  Mrs.  Alfred  Abbey  "Joe"  Maguire 

Frank  Gilder  Walter  C.  Campbell       Mrs.  Augusta  Lowell-Garthwaite 

H.  S.  Stedman  Mrs.  Mollie  Melvin-Dewing 

ASSOCIATED    MUSICIANS   AND   SINGERS 
In   the    Seventies    and    to   Date 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 


LADY    OF    LYONS    GIVEN    AT    SANTA    CRUZ.      FLAG-RAISING   AT 
GILROY  HOT  SPRINGS.     VISALIA  CONCERTS 


N  1868,  while  I  was  living  in  Santa  Cruz,  that 
city  was  without  any  fire-fighting  apparatus. 
The  matter  had  often  been  discussed,  but  noth- 
ing had  come  of  it.  Mrs.  Alfred  Baldwin, 
who  was  prominent  there  as  a  school  teacher, 
and  her  husband,  a  boot  and  shoe  merchant,  conceived  the 
plan  of  starting  a  nucleus  for  a  fire  engine.  I  being  her 
neighbor,  Mrs.  Baldwin  naturally  talked  the  matter  over 
with  me.  Santa  Cruz  then  had  some  excellent  talent  to 
call  upon,  so  we  planned  to  raise  the  money  for  an  engine 
if  possible.  During  these  days  Mrs  Elmira  Baldwin  came 
from  San  Francisco  to  spend  the  summer  with  her  sister- 
in-law,  Mrs.  Baldwin.  She  was  a  beautiful  woman  and 
talented,  and  capable  of  taking  a  part  in  anything.  We 
also  had  a  friend  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  who  was  a  splendid 
actor  in  comedy  or  tragedy,  Mr.  I.  B.  Binney.  He  was 
enlisted  in  the  good  cause,  and  through  his  efforts  and 
Mrs.  A.  Baldwin's  we  were  enabled  to  collect  all  the  talent 
necessary.  After  the  performers  were  secured,  the  next 
question  was  the  form  of  entertainment.  Of  course,  Mr. 
Binney  was  consulted  in  the  matter  and  we  decided  to 
give  the  "Lady  of  Lyons,"  Bulwer's  popular  and  beautiful 
play.  I  had  always  sung  my  way  into  public  favor,  and 
had  never  tried  the  drama.  When  the  part  of  Widow 
Melnotte  fell  to  me,  I  was  surprised,  to  say  the  least.  I 
was  only  thirty-eight  years  old,  and  the  mother  of  Melnotte 
was  fifty,  but  after  much  persuasion  I  undertook  the  role. 
For  a  month  we  had  a  great  deal  of  fun  at  the  rehearsals. 
It  is  true  I  had  my  home  to  care  for,  and  it  was  also 
fruit-canning  season,  and  I  was  busy  at  something  all  the 
time,  but  at  my  work  my  part  was  pinned  before  me  and 
I  was  reciting  aloud  all  day  long.  Had  any  one  come  in 
unannounced  he  would  have  thought  I  had  gone  stark 
mad.  Sometimes  I'd  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  kitchen, 
dishcloth  in  hand,  admonishing  Claude  not  to  love  Pauline 
too  much,  as  he  was  but  a  gardener's  son,  etc.  At  last 
the  rehearsals  were  finished  and  Thursday  evening,  August 

69 


27,  1868,  at  Otto's  Hall,  the  only  suitable  hall  in  town  at 
that  time,  the  play  was  given.  Santa  Cruz  was  crowded 
with  visitors  and  the  tickets  were  sold  so  rapidly  that  the 
house  was  sold  out  before  the  day  was  over. 

The  following  criticism  of  the  performance  is  taken 
from  the  Santa  Cruz  Sentinel:  "The  object  of  the  enter- 
tainment being  appreciated,  the  hall,  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  250,  was  crowded,  and  promptly  at  the  hour 
the  curtain  was  raised,  displaying  a  little  family  coquetish- 
ness  between  Madam  Deschappells  and  her  daughter, 
Pauline.  As  a  matter  of  course  a  bouquet  of  roses  was 
found,  and  it  was  queried  in  all  innocence  of  unsophisti- 
cated girlhood  as  to  who  could  have  sent  it.  This  act, 
Pauline  by  Mrs.  Elmira  Baldwin  and  Madam  Deschap- 
pells by  Mrs.  Fannie  Baldwin,  was  well  played  and  at 
once  centered  the  attention  of  the  audience.  Colonel 
Dumas  by  I.  C.  Wilson  was  far  in  advance  of  his  former 
attempts,  and  Beauseant  by  Thomas  Beck  added  laurels 
to  his  already  established  reputation  as  a  first-class  ama- 
teur. Glavis  by  Master  Asa  Rawson  was  rendered  in  his 
usual  facetious  style,  creating  a  universal  twitter  all  around 
the  hall.  Mons.  Deschappells  by  Albert  Brown  was  laugh- 
able in  the  extreme,  partly  from  the  age  of  so  young  a 
father,  as  seen  through  the  scarcity  of  his  be-floured  locks, 
and  partly  from  its  surroundings.  The  landlord  by  B.  F. 
Tucker  was  up  to  the  mark.  Captain  Gervais  was  played 
by  C.  W.  S.  Waldron  with  dignity  and  soldierly  bearing. 
Widow  Melnotte  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Blake  was  grand  and 
inspiring,  and  when  she  displayed  the  character  of  a 
devoted  mother  many  eyes  glistened  with  a  tear  and  many 
hearts  reverted  to  the  days,  gone  forever,  when  a  mother 
bent  over  them  with  cheeks  radiant  with  smiles  of  delight. 
Claude  Melnotte  by  I.  B.  Binney  was  excellent  and  deserv- 
ing of  the  greatest  praise.  Mrs.  Elmira  Baldwin,  in  her 
preference  for  the  supposed  prince,  in  her  rage  and  disap- 
pointment when  she  discovered  his  true  character,  and  in 
her  determination  in  the  final  act  to  cling  to  him  as  the 
wife  of  an  humble  gardener's  son,  acquitted  herself  splen- 
didly. Mrs.  Fannie  Baldwin  acted  well  the  part  of  the 
haughty  and  vindictive  mother.  When  Melnotte  had  re- 
turned as  military  chieftain  and  was  happily  united,  the 
curtain  fell  and  the  audience  slowly  dispersed." 

Our  audience  was  select  and  we  had  many  fine  com- 
ments upon  our  work,  individually.  Several  professionals 
were  in  the  audience.  It  was  difficult  to  make  them 
believe  I  had  never  acted  before,  and  they  said  I  could 
carry  that  character  anywhere  and  make  a  success  of  it. 

70 


When  all  expenses  were  paid  we  had  $80  as  a  nucleus 
towards  the  fire  engine.  The  same  was  placed  at  interest, 
there  to  remain  until  called  for  by  proper  authority  for 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  raised.  This  play  was 
given  forty-three  yeats  ago.  Three  of  the  original  char- 
acters, to  my  knowledge,  are  still  living.  The  curtain 
of  life's  drama  has  been  rung  down  on  the  other  twelve. 
I  have  never  inquired  whether  the  fire  engine  was  bought, 
but  suppose,  after  all  these  years,  that  Santa  Cruz  must 
have  several  engines.  We  who  live  can  feel  we  gave  our 
talents  for  a  good  cause.  It  was  rather  a  peculiar  part 
for  a  minister's  daughter  to  take,  the  straight-laced  saints 
suggested,  but  the  minister's  daughter  smiled,  knowing 
she  had  helped  in  a  good  cause,  and  she  still  lives  to 
tell  the  story  of  her  theatrical  achievement  in  the  little 
town  of  Santa  Cruz,  and  how  the  first  money  was 
obtained  to  get  a  fire  engine  for  the  town's  safety. 

GILROY    HOT    SPRINGS    FLAG    RAISING,    JULY     18,     1872. 

In  various  times  in  my  life  I  have  assisted  at  a  flag 
raising.  This  incident  occurred  July  18,  1872,  when  I 
was  on  my  yearly  vacation  to  Gilroy  Hot  Springs.  The 
genial  host,  George  Roop,  and  his  excellent  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, were  old  friends  of  mine  and  they  made  it  a  point 
each  year  to  have  me  come,  generally  in  July,  when 
many  people  gathered  there.  We  had  passed  a  very 
patriotic  day  on  July  4  and  the  enthusiasm  had  not 
yet  died  out  and  the  decorations  were  still  in  evidence. 
Our  days  were  spent  in  fishing,  playing  croquet,  in  bath- 
ing and  climbing  the  mountains.  There  was  one  high 
peak  that  no  one  had  ever  attempted  and  there  was 
considerable  banter  between  the  guests  and  the  proprietor, 
Roop  saying  that  no  one  had  scaled  the  peak  since  he 
had  become  proprietor  of  the  springs.  Among  the 
guests  were  several  great  climbers  and  one  evening  we 
concluded  to  try,  at  least,  and  if  we  succeeded  we  were 
to  put  up  the  flag  and  sing  America.  It  was  an  ideal 
morning  and  we  got  a  good  start  before  the  sun  rose. 
Ten  of  us  started.  We  had  but  to  follow  the  trail 
and  keep  going.  We  had  a  small  donkey,  used  to  the 
trail,  and  our  lunch,  flag,  spade  and  hatchet  and  water- 
can  were  packed  on  his  saddle,  and  with  a  hurrah  and 
a  shout  we  were  off.  Our  spirits  were  high  as  we  slowly 
began  the  ascent.  Before  we  had  gone  a  third  of  the 
way  some  of  the  party  lagged  behind.  One  by  one 
they  fell  back  until  only  five  were  left.  After  we 
had  gone  half  the  distance  we  rested  for  a  half  hour 

71 


and  refreshed  ourselves  with  part  of  the  lunch.  Then 
we  journeyed  on  until  we  reached  the  sheep  ranch  on 
the  top  of  the  peak,  a  level  where  you  could  see  for 
miles  over  hill  and  dale.  When  we  looked  for  Gilroy 
Springs  it  seemed  miles  away.  The  air  was  so  clear 
our  voices  went  out  like  clarion  calls.  After  our  dinner 
we  rested  while  the  men  hunted  a  suitable  pole.  They 
soon  found  a  tall  sapling,  chopped  off  the  branches  and 
pointed  the  butt  so  it  could  be  driven  into  the  earth, 
and  with  spades  prepared  a  place  and  the  tree  was 
planted  as  near  to  the  edge  of  the  mountain  as  we  dared 
to  work,  in  a  spot  where  we  could  see  the  springs  below. 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  ropes  were 
ready  and  the  flag  placed  in  readiness.  Capt.  Mehan 
gave  the  sign  to  Dr.  Coe  and  shouted  to  let  her  go 
and  in  a  trice  the  flag  was  flung  to  the  breeze  and  as  it 
went  up  we  began  to  sing  America  until  the  echoes 
rang  far  and  wide  with  the  refrain  and  caught  the  ears 
of  the  guests  below  who  shouted  and  made  the  wel- 
kin ring  by  "firing  off"  anvils  and  making  signals  to 
attract  our  attention.  When  we  knew  they  had  seen  the 
flag  and  had  heard  us  we  stood  around  the  flagstaff 
and  sang  the  Star  Spangled  Banner.  After  the  singing 
we  gave  three  times  three  cheers  for  Old  Glory  and 
they  answered  below  by  three  shots  and  a  hurrah  for 
the  victors  who  had  bravely  put  up  the  flag  on  the 
highest  peak,  2,659  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Those  who  won  the  victory  and  helped  in  the  flag 
raising  were  Captain  Mehan,  Dr.  Coe,  Miss  Foltz,  Miss 
Farren  and  Margaret  R.  Blake.  After  the  cheering 
had  subsided  we  prepared  for  the  descent.  Our  faithful 
donkey  brayed  with  delight  as  he  trotted  off  down 
the  hill  with  a  small  flag  fastened  to  his  bridle.  It 
was  almost  eight  o'clock  when  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  trail,  tired  and  foot-sore,  but  happy.  As  we 
came  in  sight  we  found  the  guests  had  formed  into  a 
procession,  and  headed  by  an  impromptu  band,  arranged 
for  the  occasion.  From  the  cooks  and  waiters  they 
had  secured  tin  pans,  tin  horns,  pot  covers  for  cymbals 
and  other  implements  for  the  noisy  demonstration.  To 
welcome  the  victors,  wreaths  of  wild  flowers  and  ferns 
were  thrown  over  our  heads  and  shoulders  and  we 
were  placed  at  the  head  of  the  parade  and  escorted  to 
the  hotel  porch,  where  speeches  were  delivered  in  welcome 
and  praises  for  our  bravery  showered  upon  us.  After- 
ward we  were  allowed  to  retire  to  the  ever  welcome 
sulphur  bath,  refresh  ourselves  and  rest  before  dinner. 

72 


It  was  late  when  the  call  came.  On  entering  the  dining 
room  we  found  a  separate  table  in  the  center  of  the 
room,  decorated  with  flags  and  blossoms.  To  this  table 
we  were  escorted  by  our  host.  We  did  not  need  the 
second  bidding  for  we  were  a  hungry  five  and  we  were 
ready  for  anything  prepared  for  us.  After  spending  a 
delightful  hour  partaking  of  the  very  best  of  everything, 
we  adjourned  to  the  parlors  and  talked  over  the  events 
of  the  trip  and  enjoyed  some  excellent  music  which 
had  been  prepared  for  us.  At  12  o'clock  the  gong 
sounded  and  the  lights  were  put  out.  Thus  ended  the 
eventful  day  of  our  flag  raising  at  Gilroy  Hot  Springs, 
July  18,  1872 — thirty-nine  years  ago. 

VISALIA   CONCERTS. 

Walter  Campbell,  Mr.  Anderson,  Sam  Booth  and 
myself  were  engaged  as  soloists  for  the  Visalia  concerts 
that  lasted  three  nights,  given  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Good  Templars  of  that  city.  Local  talent  was  used 
for  choruses.  We  were  paid  $50  each  and  all  our 
expenses.  When  we  arrived,  December  3,  1878,  the 
city  was  billed  as  for  a  circus.  Posters  were  everywhere, 
old  fashioned  stages  carrying  passengers  had  posters  on 
each  side  with  our  names  printed  in  ten  to  twelve 
inch  lettering.  We  were  amazed  at  our  popularity  and 
were  a  jolly  quartette.  At  the  rehearsal  we  discovered 
some  musical  folk,  capable  of  interpreting  the  old-time 
songs  and  to  our  great  pleasure  and  surprise  we  found 
we  had  a  fine  support  to  aid  us  in  our  quaint  songs 
which  had  made  for  us  a  reputation  in  our  own  city. 
By  seven  o'clock  of  the  first  night  the  sidewalk  was 
crowded  with  eager  and  expectant  citizens,  waiting  with 
good  humor  until  the  time  for  the  opening.  Before  the 
concert  began  the  house  was  filled  to  overflowing. 
Promptly  at  eight  the  instrumental  march  began.  In  the 
first  number  it  was  arranged  for  all  the  performers  to 
be  on  the  stage  to  make  a  picturesque  showing  of  the 
costumes.  It  was  many  minutes  before  we  were  allowed 
to  begin  the  programme.  It  was  a  demonstration  to  satisfy 
the  ambition  of  any  singer  and  spur  him  on  to  greater 
things.  We  were  all  in  the  best  of  voice  and  with 
the  good  will  of  the  audience  we  carried  out  the  pro- 
gramme without  an  error,  with  encores  galore. 

The  second  night  was  a  repetition  of  the  vast  crowd 
of  enthusiastic  people.  A  surprise  was  in  store  for  me. 
Rev.  P.  Y.  Cool  stepped  upon  the  platform  and  informed 

73 


the  audience  that  when  he  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Methodist  church  in  Santa  Cruz  in  1864  I  was  the  solo 
singer  in  his  church.  He  said  the  audience  had  the 
opportunity  of  hearing  by  far  California's  best  and 
oldest  singer  and  to  his  mind  the  best  he  ever  heard 
sing  sacred  songs.  He  finished  by  saying  that  he  felt 
it  an  honor  to  hear  once  more  her  beautiful  voice. 
Because  of  the  great  hit  we  had  made  we  were  asked 
to  give  a  third  performance  and  to  this  we  agreed. 
The  choruses  were  the  same  for  the  third  night  as  were 
the  character  duets  between  Walter  Campbell,  Sam  Booth, 
Anderson  and  me,  which  were  repeated  by  request.  The 
solos  were  alone  changed.  Sarah  Walker  also  repeated 
her  Opinions  at  the  Pastor's  Donation  Party,  causing 
much  merriment  that  such  an  old  lady  could  still  take 
part  with  the  younger  set,  even  if  she  was  seemingly 
eighty  years  old.  The  programme  came  to  an  end  about 
eleven  o'clock,  which  closed  three  most  successful  nights 
both  artistically  as  well  as  financially  for  the  cause  of 
temperance  in  Visalia.  On  our  departure  in  the  morn- 
ing the  committee  escorted  us  to  the  train  and  presented 
us  with  offerings  of  autumn  flowers  and  fruits  as  tokens 
of  their  appreciation. 


74 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 


ON  THE  ROAD  WITH  DICK  KOHLER,   MR.  VIVIAN,  WALTER 
CAMPBELL,  MR.  WAND  AND  CHARLES  ATKINS 


N  1876,  I  signed  a  six  weeks'  agreement 
with  the  Vivian  Kohler  Troupe  to  tour  Ore- 
gon, Victoria  and  the  cities  on  Puget  Sound. 
We  sailed  from  San  Francisco  on  February 
24  on  the  steamer  City  of  Panama.  Our  party 
was  made  up  of  six  people:  Mr.  Dick  Kohler,  the  only 
Vivian,  Walter  C.  Campbell,  Margaret  B.  Alverson, 
Mr.  Wand,  pianist,  Mr.  Charles  Atkins,  advance  agent. 
We  were  a  goodly  company  indeed,  all  up  in  our  parts 
and  anticipating  success  in  our  venture.  We  arrived  in 
Victoria,  February  28.  As  we  landed,  rockets  were  sent 
up  and  cannons  gave  forth  a  deafening  roar  to  inform 
the  people  the  steamer  had  arrived,  but  it  was  too  late 
for  us  to  disembark,  and  reluctantly  we  repaired  to  our 
bunks  to  pass  another  night  on  board.  Morning  came 
at  last  and  I  opened  my  eyes  upon  a  quiet  little  bay 
surrounded  by  high,  rocky  mountains,  covered  with 
foliage,  including  tall  pines,  and  in  the  distance  the  snow- 
capped mountains,  lighting  up  the  background  of  the 
beautiful  scene  before  me.  By  seven  o'clock  we  were 
taken  ashore  in  small  skiffs  to  the  opposite  shore  where 
we  were  met  by  our  agent,  Mr.  Atkins,  who  had  arranged 
for  our  conveyance  to  Victoria.  After  a  smart  ride  of 
an  hour  we  stopped  at  the  Fayhard  Hotel,  too  early  for 
these  slow  Englishmen.  After  a  decided  rattling  at  a  heavy 
dark  oaken  door  of  an  ancient-looking  mansion,  a  dull, 
grim  old  Chinese  made  his  appearance,  wondering  who 
was  disturbing  his  slumbers  at  such  an  early  hour.  The 
landlord,  a  polite  little  Frenchman,  greeted  us  with  many 
bows  and  much  palaver  and  popped  behind  the  bar, 
which  motion  was  not  lost  on  the  chilled  travelers  who 
called  for  their  favorite  and  drank  with  a  satisfied 
smack.  I  felt  like  the  dog  who  had  gotten  into  bad 
company,  the  saloon  being  the  only  room  with  a  fire. 
After  a  half  hour  of  waiting  we  heard  the  welcome 
call  for  breakfast  to  which  we  needed  no  second  bidding. 
I  am  a  victim  of  sea-sickness  and  had  eaten  nothing 

75 


during  the  entire  voyage  except  a  little  gruel,  and  I 
leave  you  to  imagine  what  I  did  to  the  delicious  break- 
fast placed  before  me,  served  only  as  Frenchmen  can 
serve.  It  consisted  of  fish,  chops,  steak,  rolls,  coffee, 
potatoes  and  an  omelette. 

After  breakfast  I  was  shown  to  my  room  where  I 
had  a  good  view  of  the  town  and  I  found  we  had  been 
largely  billed  to  appear  on  Thursday  night.  We  had 
a  day  of  rest  before  our  first  performance.  We  moved 
in  the  meantime  to  the  Colonial  Hotel  or  Driard  House, 
and  were  shown  to  a  comfortable  room  with  a  fire- 
place, quaint  and  small,  in  which  a  bright  fire  was 
burning.  The  room  was  cheerful  and  attractive  with 
many  windows.  The  floors  were  painted  and  cov- 
ered with  rugs,  bright  and  warm,  and  the  white  French 
curtains  hung  as  in  the  days  of  Napoleon.  Mahog- 
any furniture  of  old  fashioned  shape  added  to  the 
strange  furnishing  which  was  very  attractive,  and  I  felt 
at  home  at  once.  About  ten  o'clock  that  morning,  Walter 
Campbell  came  and  escorted  me  to  the  cupola  of  the 
hotel  where  we  could  see  the  city  for  miles,  a  good- 
sized  place,  with  several  prominent  buildings  and  churches 
and  a  fine  sight  of  Mount  Baker  in  the  distance,  covered 
with  snow.  After  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  decided 
to  have  breakfast  and  joined  the  rest  of  the  company 
and  a  stranger  who  was  presented  to  us  as  Commodore 
Maury,  a  pleasant  and  distinguished-looking  man  who 
was  a  welcome  addition  to  our  company  and  extended 
us  many  a  courtesy  while  we  were  in  the  city.  After 
breakfast  the  company  separated.  I  retired  to  my  room 
and  practiced  an  hour  before  going  to  try  the  voices  in 
the  Theater  Royal.  While  in  the  midst  of  my  practice 
a  queer  accident  occurred  in  front  of  the  hotel.  A  man 
in  a  watering  cart,  in  backing  up  to  the  sidewalk,  turned 
too  abruptly  and  the  traces  gave  way,  the  cart  turned 
turtle  and  the  poor  horse  hung  in  mid-air.  Relief  was 
soon  at  hand,  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  brawny  English- 
men righted  the  position  of  the  animal  and  all  was 
over  and  no  harm  done.  After  a  good  laugh  everyone 
went  his  way.  At  ten  o'clock  we  strolled  to  the  theater 
to  look  it  over.  The  people  of  Victoria  think  it  is  fine. 
They  ought  to  come  to  California  and  pattern  after 
some  of  our  playhouses.  It  was  small,  the  acoustics  bad 
and  the  mixtures  of  colors  was  as  a  crazy-quilt  to  me. 
The  boxes  were  ludicrous  in  their  attempt  at  orna- 
mentation. The  seats  were  long  benches,  upholstered 
with  solferino-colored  damask  and  the  scenes  were  the 

76 


Rev.  Dr.  J.  K.  McLean 
First  Congregational  Church 

Oakland,  1890 
Rev.  V.  M.  Law  Rev.  Father  Akerly 


Rev.  P.  Y.  Cool 
First  M.  E.  Church 
Santa  Cruz,  1864 
Rev.  Giles  A.  Easton 


Church  of  the  Advent 
East  Oakland,  1898 


St.  John's  Episcopal  Church     Calvary  Episcopal  Church 


Oakland,    1894 


Santa  Cruz,  1 864 


MINISTERS    WITH    WHOM    MRS.    BLAKE-ALVERSON    HAS 
BEEN  ASSOCIATED 


merest  daubs.  We  did  not  rehearse  in  the  theater.  We 
returned  to  the  hotel  and  rehearsed  in  the  parlors  for  an 
hour,  then  each  one  retired  for  the  night. 

At  last  the  first  night  is  over  and  we  have  taken  the 
people  by  storm.  The  theater  is  crowded  and  every 
number  is  encored.  We  have  set  the  town  talking 
and  I  expect  the  theater  will  not  hold  the  people  for 
tonight.  House  packed.  Vivian  is  the  funniest  man  I  ever 
saw  or  heard.  I  nearly  choke  with  laughter.  In  singing  my 
song  in  costume  tonight,  a  very  pretty  and  touching  inci- 
dent occurred.  Lord  Mayor  Drummond  and  family  occupied 
one  of  the  boxes.  With  them  was  their  grandchild,  about 
three  or  four  years  old  When  I  came  out  dressed 
as  an  old  Scotch  woman  and  leading  Mr.  Kohler,  who 
represented  John  Anderson  my  Joe,  her  clear  voice  rang 
out,  "Oh,  grandpa,  can  I  give  my  posie  to  the  dear  old 
lady?"  By  the  time  I  had  placed  John  in  the  large  arm 
chair  they  had  quieted  her  and  the  song  proceeded. 
When  the  song  was  finished  a  silence  of  death  was  the 
only  evidence  we  received,  until  we  were  nearly  off  the 
stage  and  the  people  awoke  to  the  realization  that  the 
song  was  done  and  the  singers  gone.  Then  applause 
broke  like  a  whirlwind  and  we  were  obliged  to  return 
three  or  four  times  to  acknowledge  our  appreciation. 
At  the  close  of  the  performance  the  Lord  Mayor  came 
with  his  family  on  the  stage  with  his  grandchild  to 
see  the  dear  old  lady.  I  had  retired  to  the  dressing 
room  and  removed  my  costume  and  was  ready  to  go 
to  the  hotel.  When  I  came  back  Mr.  Kohler  introduced 
me  and  pointed  me  out  to  the  child.  She  drew  back 
with  her  posies  and  said,  "Not  this  lady,  the  old  lady." 
No  persuasion  could  induce  her  to  give  me  the  bouquet. 
At  last  I  told  her  to  come  with  me  and  I'd  show  her 
the  old  lady.  I  returned  to  the  dressing  room  and 
showed  her  the  cap  and  other  articles  of  the  costume 
and  told  her  I  wore  them  and  I  was  only  playing  I 
was  old.  She  looked  at  me  and  drew  a  long  breath, 
smiled  and  handed  me  the  posies.  I  took  the  flowers 
from  the  child  and  we  joined  the  party  who  were  watch- 
ing our  performance  with  much  pleasure.  They  asked 
her  if  she  found  the  old  lady  and  she  replied,,  "Yes, 
she  only  played  she  was  old  like  grandma."  Mayor 
Drummond  complimented  me  on  my  song  and  reminded 
me  that  it  was  his  favorite  Scotch  song.  Our  first 
night  won  for  us  great  recognition.  About  two  o'clock 
we  were  serenaded  at  the  hotel  by  the  Victoria  band. 

77 


The  company  acknowledged  the  compliment  but  I 
remained  in  my  room. 

The  next  day  we  were  taken  all  over  the  city  and 
shown  the  principal  features  by  the  Lord  Mayor  and  his 
family.  At  two  o'clock  we  returned  to  his  mansion  where 
we  had  luncheon.  After  passing  several  hours  pleasantly 
with  his  lordship  we  were  brought  home  in  time  to  rest 
for  the  second  night's  performance,  Friday.  The  house 
was  again  packed,  enthusiasm  ran  high  and  everything 
on  the  program  was  encored.  The  boxes  were  filled  with 
beautiful  women  and  their  escorts.  The  morning  papers 
were  loud  with  praises  of  our  selections  and  how  they 
had  been  rendered. 

The  wind  and  rain  had  turned  into  a  heavy  snow  fall. 
We  were  due  at  Nanaimo  for  the  next  concert  and 
despite  the  storm  we  started  and  arrived  safely  Wednes- 
day morning,  March  8.  We  sang  in  Institute  hall  and 
a  fine  place  for  sound  it  was.  We  had  a  crowded  house 
and  were  well  received.  We  were  to  return  to  Victoria 
the  following  day.  The  snow  was  deep  and  it  was  cold 
and  blowing  hard.  Unable  to  secure  an  express  wagon, 
we  improvised  a  sleigh  and  the  boys  put  our  things  into 
it  and  dragged  the  sleigh  to  the  depot.  We  boarded  the 
Northern  Pacific  and  started  up  the  Sound.  Snow  every- 
where. The  scenery  was  beautiful.  Mount  Baker  was 
a  lovely  sight,  just  like  one  solid  piece  of  ice.  We 
arrived  in  Seattle  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and 
went  directly  to  the  Cosmopolitan. 

Let  me  quote  from  my  diary.  Saturday,  March  llth: 
"Our  entertainment  last  night  was  given  in  the  cabin  of  a 
steamer  which  had  been  fashioned  into  a  music  hall 
and  it  proved  a  fine  place  to  sing  in  and  we  had  a 
packed  house  in  spite  of  snow  and  rain.  We  met 
with  a  great  reception  and  one  encore  after  another 
had  to  be  given.  Sunday,  12th.  We  started  for  Steilla- 
coom  on  the  steamer  Alida  and  arrived  early  and  were 
taken  to  the  Harmon  House.  In  the  absence  of  a  hall 
to  sing  in  we  gave  our  concert  in  the  hotel  dining-room 
with  a  melodeon  for  our  only  instrument.  We  made 
the  best  of  the  situation.  All  were  in  good  humor  and 
our  auditors  enjoyed  the  programme  very  much.  The  next 
morning  we  left  for  Olympia.  At  one  o'clock  we  arrived 
in  Olympia,  the  capital  of  Washington  Territory,  and  were 
taken  to  the  Carlton  House.  Concert  tonight  and  off  for 
Tacoma  tomorrow  at  eight  o'clock." 

After  the  concert  was  over  at  Olympia  I  was  sur- 
prised to  be  called  back  to  the  auditorium  by  Mr. 

78 


Kohler  who  informed  me  that  some  friends  wished  to 
speak  to  me.  To  my  surprise  twenty-five  persons  greeted 
me  and  made  me  welcome.  I  never  knew  one  of  them 
before,  but  each  one  had  heard  me  sing  in  San  Fran- 
cisco years  gone  by  and  was  as  glad  to  hear  me  sing 
as  if  we  had  been  old  friends.  My  singing  had  impressed 
them  so  that  they  desired  to  know  me  personally  upon 
hearing  me  again.  Several  of  them  even  told  me  the 
songs  I  sang  and  others  the  different  places  and  par- 
ticular concerts  where  I  sang.  At  this  point  I  wish 
to  say  that  to  me  this  means  the  true  singer.  If  the 
interpretation  of  the  song  and  the  singer  leave  a  memory 
of  pleasant  remembrance,  then  the  singer  has  found 
the  secret  of  success  and  earns  the  reputation  that  no 
one  can  deny  or  take  away  from  him  or  her.  Riches, 
influence,  envy,  jealousy  can  never  buy  that  which  the 
singer  has  not.  It  must  rest  with  the  individuality  and 
musical  temperament  of  the  artist  and  the  art  of  giving 
to  the  hearer  what  the  writer  intended  he  should  give. 
At  Tacoma  we  had  very  comfortable  quarters  at 
the  Carlton  House.  As  we  were  coming  up  the  Sound 
in  the  steamer  Zephyr  I  was  in  the  cabin  asleep.  The 
Sound  was  rough,  I  am  not  a  good  sailor,  and  how 
long  I  slept  I  know  not,  but  I  awoke  with  a  start  and 
a  loud  report  greeted  my  ears.  As  I  opened  my  eyes 
I  saw  the  white  faces  of  women  and  children  and  steam 
filling  the  cabin.  In  my  bewilderment  I  was  really 
frightened.  All  this  must  have  taken  place  in  a  moment, 
for  I  had  not  time  to  fully  awaken  when  the  members 
of  our  troupe  hastily  entered  enquiring  for  Mrs.  Blake, 
is  she  hurt,  etc.  Well  the  Tacoma  concert  is  also  a 
thing  of  the  past  and  we  left  many  friends  in  conse- 
quence of  our  good  work.  Now  we  are  off  for  Portland, 
Oregon.  March  17th,  St.  Patrick's  Day.  Our  concert 
last  night  was  a  bouncing  one.  The  beautiful  theater 
was  packed  and  we  were  received  royally  and  the 
morning  papers  were  loud  in  our  praise.  We  are  having 
rain  this  morning.  Being  St.  Patrick's  day  our  house 
was  not  packed,  but  comfortably  filled.  Of  course  we 
had  an  Irish  programme  which  was  just  the  right  key  note 
and  the  people  gave  us  a  hearty  reception  and  many 
recalls.  After  the  concert,  friends  came  in  carriages 
and  took  us  to  the  St.  Patrick's  ball  given  by  the  upper 
class  of  Irish  citizens.  It  was  my  first  experience  at 
an  Irish  ball.  I  did  not  retire  until  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  pretty  well  convinced  that  the  Gaelic  dancers 
are  people  to  enjoy  their  fun  to  the  utmost.  March  18th. 

79 


At  the  matinee  this  afternoon  a  very  laughable  episode 
occurred.  After  singing  the  second  encore  there  was  a 
fine  bouquet  thrown  on  the  stage  for  me.  It  failed  to 
reach  but  fell  in  the  orchestra.  A  nice  looking  and  well 
groomed  gentleman  quickly  jumped  over  and  caught 
the  bouquet  and  sent  it.  upon  the  stage  with  a  bow  and 
a  smile.  As  he  attempted  to  return  he  fell  headlong.  Such 
a  laugh  went  up !  It  was  funny  to  see  him  sprawling  on  the 
floor  in  full  dress.  The  cheers  and  laughter  were  so  up- 
roarious I  was  obliged  to  stop  until  they  had  subsided. 
He  turned  to  the  audience  and  made  a  profound  bow,  then 
we  proceeded  with  the  programme.  This  evening's  concert 
was  a  success  from  start  to  finish. 

Sunday,  March  9th.  Having  met  some  pleasant 
people  in  our  travels,  Mrs.  Baxter  of  Tacoma,  Mrs. 
Gaten  of  Portland,  and  a  friend  of  mine,  Mrs.  Kilbourn, 
we  were  enabled  to  see  more  of  the  places  of  interest 
during  our  stay  in  Portland.  At  ten  o'clock  our  friends 
arrived  at  the  hotel  and  in  a  smart  conveyance  we  were 
soon  enjoying  the  brisk  morning  air.  Our  destination 
was  a  Sisters'  Hospital.  After  an  hour's  ride  we 
alighted  in  front  of  this  spacious,  comfortable-looking 
building  which  proved  to  be  St.  Joseph's  Hospital.  We 
were  welcomed  by  Sister  Josephine  who  guided  us  all 
over  the  place,  the  dormitories,  dining  room,  halls  and 
corridors.  Everything  was  kept  in  the  neatest  order. 
At  last  we  stopped  in  front  of  the  chapel.  The  place 
was  partially  lighted,  showing  the  altar  of  white  and 
gold,  the  brass  candlesticks  and  vases  of  marble  filled 
with  roses.  The  altar  was  draped  with  white  linen  and 
pink  silk  linings  and  lace  frills.  A  soft  pink  light  per- 
vaded the  place,  which  gave  it  an  ethereal  appearance  and 
filled  me  with  solemn  awe  as  I  turned  away.  The 
day  had  begun  very  fair  but  when  we  returned  to  the 
hotel  the  rain  was  in  full  force.  After  dinner  our 
friends  called  again  and  we  were  taken  to  their  beautiful 
mansion  where  we  met  a  company  of  eight  very  inter- 
esting persons,  and  with  pleasant  repartee  and  some  good 
music  we  enjoyed  the  hours  until  ten  o'clock  when  we 
were  once  more  returned  to  the  hotel  and,  tired  out 
from  our  day's  adventures,  sleep  soon  claimed  us. 
Monday,  the  20th,  we  gave  our  last  concert  and  we  had 
a  most  magnificent  reception  and  a  crowded  and  enthu- 
siastic house.  Vivian  was  in  great  form  and  his  "Ten 
Thousand  Miles  Away"  and  "Where's  Rosanna  Gone" 
took  the  house  by  storm.  Walter  and  I  received  our 
share  of  glory  as  did  Mr.  Wand  and  Mr.  Kohler.  Thus 

SO 


WILLIAM  H.  KEITH,   Baritone 
Pupil  in  1881 


ended  our  three  nights  and  one  matinee  in  Portland, 
Oregon.  Left  Portland  for  Oregon  City  and  arrived 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  scenery  here  is 
magnificent.  The  city  is  one  long  street,  the  valley  is 
not  wider  than  to  allow  one  street  and  two  rows  of 
railroad  tracks,  then  comes  the  Willamette  river  and 
across  that  the  canal  and  the  high  mountains  again. 
Above  the  Imperial  Mills  are  the  Willamette  Falls.  As 
I  stood  within  several  feet  of  the  falls  I  looked  on 
the  scene  below  the  large  mills,  the  canal,  mountains,  the 
small  quaint  town.  We  could  see  the  boats  in  the  canal 
unloading  their  freight.  The  Cliff  House  was  the  only 
hotel;  not  attractive  but  well  kept.  Our  house  was  not 
well  filled;  the  mill  men  were  angry  at  a  dollar  admission 
so  remained  away  and  missed  the  fun  for  their  pains. 

Next  morning  we  left  for  Salem.  The  trip  was 
beautiful  in  the  extreme.  The  scenery  was  wonderful, 
rocks  covered  with  moss  of  every  shade  made  a  picture 
gorgeous  to  behold.  Arrived  in  Salem  at  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  drove  to  the  Chemeketa  Hotel,  the 
largest  one  in  Oregon.  We  are  billed  for  two  nights, 
then  we  separate  and  start  for  home.  The  concerts 
were  well  patronized  and  by  the  best  people.  Those 
who  generally  go  wanted  circus  pieces,  therefore  the 
grouch  and  thin  houses.  Any  one  who  knew  Dick 
Kohler  soon  found  out  that  nothing  of  the  cheap  sort 
goes  where  he  is  the  leader.  We  started  out  on  a  ven- 
ture on  the  24th  of  February  and  separated  on  the  24th 
of  March.  I  was  the  only  woman  in  the  company  and 
a  queen  could  not  have  received  better  attention  than  I 
from  each  member  of  the  troupe.  Wherever  we  remained 
Mr.  Kohler  reminded  the  people  I  should  have  the  best. 
Sometimes  we  fared  badly  along  the  Sound  and  at  the 
coaling  camps  the  fare  was  rough  and  the  accommoda- 
tions uncomfortable.  Such  occurrences  come  to  all  who 
travel  and  we  were  the  best  natured  company,  ready 
for  good,  bad  or  otherwise.  We  were  four  nights  in 
Victoria,  B.  C.,  two  nights  in  Nanaimo,  one  night  in 
Victoria  on  our  return,  two  nights  in  Seattle,  one  night 
in  Steillacoom,  one  in  Olympia,  one  in  Tacoma,  Port- 
land three  nights  and  matinee,  Oregon  City  one  night, 
Salem  two  nights — nineteen  performances. 

After  all  expenses  and  salaries,  Mr.  Kohler  returned 
to  San  Francisco  with  fifteen  hundred  dollars  clear  gain 
in  four  weeks.  We  left  Portland  for  home  on  the 
steamer  Ajax.  But  friends  in  Portland  entertained  us 
the  last  day  and  in  parting  came  to  the  steamer  and 

'  81 


brought  papers  and  magazines  to  read  during  the  voyage. 
But  as  for  me,  I  had  no  use  for  anything  but  the  bed. 
I  am  not  a  good  sailor.  The  26th  the  snow  came 
down  so  fast  the  pilot  could  not  see  to  take  us  out. 
After  several  hours  there  was  a  lull  long  enough  for 
us  to  reach  the  steamer.  It  was  rough  crossing  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  the  rain  and  hail  followed 
us  for  two  days  out.  At  last  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
Golden  Gate,  and  we  were  home  once  more.  After  a 
pleasant  trip,  a  welcome  reception  in  every  city  and  town 
in  which  we  sang,  our  salaries  in  our  pockets  and  wiser  for 
our  experience  as  entertainers,  we  were  ready  to  take  up 
the  usual  routine  of  our  lives  and  continue  to  the  suc- 
cessful end  when  traveling  days  are  done  for  us  all.  If 
we  had  a  regret  it  was  at  the  hour  of  parting  of  our 
goodly  company.  The  good-byes  were  said  on  the  24th 
of  March,  1876,  and  three  of  the  company  never  met 
again.  To  my  knowledge  all  have  passed  away  but 
Walter  C.  Campbell  and  the  writer,  Margaret  Blake- 
Alverson. 


82 


CHAPTER  NINE 


EARLY  MUSIC  AND  MUSIC  HOUSES.     MUSICAL  INSTRUMENT 
MAKERS.    OLD-TIME  SINGERS 

EFORE  our  time  the  beginnings  of  music 
were  comparatively  insignificant.  These  we 
can  divide  into  four  heads,  as  follows: 

1.  The   music  of  the   Indians. 

2.  The  Mission  music  of  the  padres. 

3.  The  Spanish  and  Mexican  music. 

4.  The  music  of  the  miners. 

These  epochs  have  no  bearing  upon  the  music  of 
today.  Even  the  beginnings  in  1850  and  1851  were  of 
the  most  primitive  sort.  As  early  as  1849  in  the  then 
village  of  San  Francisco,  music  was  given  by  traveling 
companies  from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  lured  here  by 
the  song  of  gold.  As  the  priests  built  the  missions  and 
gathered  the  people  into  the  churches,  they  sang  the 
songs  of  the  Church,  such  as  the  Gregorian  chants. 
Their  scores  were  written  on  sheets  of  parchment,  some 
of  them  exist  today  and  can  be  seen  in  the  Bancroft 
collection  of  California  music. 

Most  of  the  miners  were  men  who  sang  songs  which 
were  not  of  the  highest  order,  and  they  showed  no 
great  proficiency  as  singers,  but  if  they  were  not  singers 
they  were  good  listeners,  and  occasionally  a  strolling 
violin  player  would  arrive  in  the  camp  and  he  was 
given  the  closest  attention  and  rewarded  always  with 
an  ounce  of  gold,  which  had  the  value  of  $16.  He 
was  extended  full  hospitality  and  shared  their  grub  (as 
the  miners  called  their  food  in  the  camp  in  early  days.) 

Many  of  these  quaint  songs  were  composed  by  the 
miners  in  their  camps,  and  later  we  had  men  like  the 
well  known  singer,  Sam  Booth.  The  titles  were  unique 
as  well  as  the  sentiment,  and  fitted  the  time  and  place 
in  the  early  years.  With  the  advent  of  women  the 
guitars  and  banjos  were  employed  in  the  dance  halls 
and  fandangoes  of  the  Mexican  men  and  women,  who 
were  the  only  women  in  the  state  when  we  arrived. 
There  is  much  romance  coupled  with  as  much  stern 
reality  in  building  up  the  music  of  our  state.  The  golden 

83 


city  was  little  better  than  trails  over  the  wind-swept 
sand  hills,  our  beautiful  bay  was  covered  with  craft  of 
all  nations,  lured  here  by  the  story  of  gold  and  deserted 
by  crews  who  joined  the  masses  of  humanity  of  all 
nations  and  creeds  ashore,  infected  with  the  delirium 
of  the  gold  fever.  They  thought  little  of  music  that 
was  stable.  There  were  a  few  practical  business  men 
among  them  who  looked  farther  than  the  mere  hunting 
of  gold. 

Having  been  so  closely  identified  with  the  earliest 
music  and  musicians  I  have  understaken  to  give  you 
an  exact  recital  of  facts  in  my  long  association  and  in 
the  performance  of  this  pleasant  art,  which  is  a  beautiful 
memory  in  my  long  years  of  experience.  In  this  work 
I  have  been  assisted  by  diaries,  programmes  and  notes 
from  the  musicians  of  my  time.  It  will  give  me  grati- 
fication and  reward  for  my  work  if  I  can  present  an 
historical  account  from  the  small  beginnings  of  1851  to 
the  colossal  and  substantial  basis  upon  which  the  music 
houses  stand  to-day.  The  pioneer  men  in  the  business 
had  many  struggles  and  obstacles  to  overcome.  The 
early  fires  swept  away  the  beginnings  several  times,  but 
like  the  fabled  Phoenix  they  steadily  arose  from  the 
ashes  of  their  disappointments  to  begin  again  with  renewed 
energy  and  strength  of  purpose. 

I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  the  music  house  of 
Joseph  Atwill  &  Company  on  Washington  street  was  the 
first  which  dealt  exclusively  in  musical  instruments. 
Atwill  did  not  import  largely  but  bought  of  Mr.  A. 
Kohler  who  dealt  in  musical  instruments,  notions,  fancy 
goods  and  toys.  Mr.  Atwill  in  1860  sold  out  to  Matthias 
Gray,  a  former  clerk  of  his,  and  he  and  William  Herwig 
in  1862  opened  at  613  Clay  street.  After  a  short  time 
Mr.  Herwig,  who  was  a  clarionet  player,  dropped  out. 
Gray's  business  prospered  rapidly,  being  aided  by  the 
acquisition  of  the  Steinway  piano  agency.  Gray's  music 
store  was  the  headquarters  for  many  years  of  all  visiting 
artists  and  it  may  be  claimed  that  it  was  the  first 
devoted  entirely  to  the  music  art.  Later  two  of  Gray's 
clerks,  Charles  McCurrie  and  Julius  Weber,  established 
a  favorite  home  for  the  music  business  and  during  some 
years  were  on  Post  street  near  Kearny  street  and  later 
on  Kearny  street  between  Sutter  and  Bush  streets.  In 
the  meantime  Gray  removed  to  Kearny  street  next  to  the 
White  House.  At  this  location  McCurrie  and  Weber 
rejoined  Gray  and  the  business  was  again  moved  to 
larger  quarters  on  Post  street  and  included  under  its 

84 


Music  House,  1910 

S.  J.  Bruce 
Oakland  Manager  for 
Many  Years 


Andrew  Kohler 
Quincy  A.  Chase 
Music  House,  1851 


MUSIC  HOUSE  OF  KOHLER  &  CHASE 
San  Francisco 


roof  a  large  second  story  salesroom,  that  was  easily 
converted  into  a  recital  room  and  was  designated  Stein- 
way  Hall.  A  very  tempting  offer  from  the  then  young 
dry  goods  firm  of  O'Connor,  Moffatt  &  Co.  induced  Gray  to 
give  up  his  lease  and  move  a  block  further  out  Post 
street.  Just  prior  to  this  the  business  was  incorporated 
and  known  as  the  "Matthias  Gray  Co."  Later  Mr.  Gray 
passed  away,  and  still  later  the  business  was  terminated. 
The  immense  stock  of  music  was  purchased  "for  a  song" 
by  Oliver  Ditson  Co.  During  its  existence  Gray  did 
an  extensive  publishing  business  and  became  a  member  of 
the  Music  Board  of  Trade,  which  then  controlled  prices, 
etc. 

Charles  H.  McCurrie  and  Julius  Weber  were  so  thor- 
oughly identified  with  music  as  an  art  for  many  years 
that  a  word  about  their  present  activities  may  be  of 
interest.  Mr.  McCurrie  went  into  Eastern  piano  factories 
and  interested  himself  in  the  technical  makeup  of  pianos 
and  the  art  of  tuning  and  returning  settled  and  still 
lives  in  Alameda,  Calif.,  where  he  has  written  several 
successful  operettas  and  collections  of  songs  for  children. 
Selections  from  the  latter  are  in  daily  use  in  the  public 
schools,  although  not  written  for  that  purpose.  The  Rival 
Queens  and  The  Marsh  King  are  also  two  successful  can- 
tatas, the  Quest  of  Truth  being  his  latest  work  of  that 
nature.  Mr.  Julius  Weber  joined  the  faculty  of  piano 
teachers  at  Mills  College  and  remained  there  until  recently, 
the  demands  upon  his  time  by  pupils  at  his  residence  in 
Berkeley  having  compelled  him  reluctantly  to  resign.  He 
is  still  successfully  teaching  and  is  identified  with  the  best 
musical  advancement  in  our  college  city. 

Kohler  and  Chase  were  established  in  1850,  starting 
as  a  toy  and  notion  shop  and  selling  musical  instruments. 
They  were  not  wholly  in  the  music  business  until  about 
1853  or  54.  Mr.  Kohler  imported  nothing  but  French 
and  German  upright  pianos  at  that  time.  In  1860  they 
were  fully  established  as  a  regular  music  house,  on  Clay 
street  and  afterwards  moved  to  Post  street.  The  same 
year  A.  Kohler  opened  a  large  wholesale  house  on  San- 
some  street.  The  first  grand  pianos  were  imported  by 
them  about  1859.  They  came  from  Europe  and  arrived 
on  board  ship  just  in  time  to  be  exhibited  at  the  first 
Mechanic's  Fair,  held  in  a  building  put  up  for  that 
purpose  on  Montgomery  street.  At  that  time  Montgomery 
street  toward  Market  street  consisted  mostly  of  vacant  lots. 
Kohler  &  Chase's  music  house  has  been  one  of  the  most 
successful  during  all  these  years  of  changes  which  have 

85 


come  during  all  these  years.  They  had  nothing  but 
successful  advancement  until  our  great  earthquake  demol- 
ished the  entire  city  and  they  suffered  as  did  other  music 
houses,  but  at  the  present  time  of  writing  they  are 
housed  in  a  most  magnificent  building  of  their  own  on 
O'Farrell  street  and  Bagley  place,  built  especially  for 
them,  and  ten  stories  in  height.  They  occupy  the  entire 
building.  It  is  the  largest  and  most  complete  music 
house  in  the  West  and  an  acknowledged  musical  center. 
When  the  Matthias  Gray  Company  went  out  of  busi- 
ness Mr.  McCurrie  selected  from  the  shelves  the  music 
and  books  for  the  store  of  Wm.  B.  Frisbee  &  Company, 
opened  in  the  old  Masonic  Temple,  Montgomery  street 
near  Market.  With  Mr.  Frisbee  was  the  late  H.  M. 
Bosworth,  a  leading  organist  and  critic,  Bohemian,  etc. 
Later  the  firm  became  Frisbee  &  Scott.  Gustave  A. 
Scott,  now  dead,  was  a  well  known  and  successful 
music  teacher  and  for  many  years  organist  of  Calvary 
Church  on  Bush  street,  and  later  at  the  corner  of  Geary 
and  Powell  streets.  He  was  also  organist  for  the  syna- 
gogue on  Mason  and  Geary,  Rabbi  Bettleheim,  pastor, 
and  accompanist  for  the  early  Handel  &  Hayden  Society 
on  California  and  Dupont  streets,  where  we  occupied 
Dr.  Lacey's  church  with  Mr.  Oliver  as  business  director 
and  a  brother  of  Judge  Shatter  as  one  of  the  musical 
committee  of  the  society  which  numbered  500  fine  singers. 
Later  the  business  of  Frisbee  &  Scott  was  transferred 
to  the  southwest  corner  of  Kearny  and  Sutter  streets. 
Changing  hands  again  the  business  was  taken  over  by  A.  A. 
Rosenberg,  another  music  teacher,  and  finally  became 
known  as  the  firm  of  Sherman  &  Hyde,  Mr.  Sherman 
having  been  in  the  employ  of  A.  A.  Rosenberg.  After 
several  years,  Sherman  &  Hyde  became  known  as  Sher- 
man, Clay  &  Company,  who  have  been  doing  a  success- 
ful business,  occupying  at  the  present  time  a  fine  build- 
ing which  has  been  erected  since  the  earthquake.  They 
are  one  of  the  leading  music  houses.  Since  the  earthquake 
the  senior  member,  Major  C.  C.  Clay,  has  passed  away. 
The  business  is  now  incorporated  and  among  the  officials 
are  Mr.  Fred  Sherman,  son  of  L.  S.  Sherman,  and  Mr. 
Phillip  Clay,  son  of  the  late  Major  Clay.  Mr.  Leander 
Sherman,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  firm,  is  still  living 
and*  continues  in  the  business  as  in  former  years.  The 
firm  also  owns  its  own  building  in  Oakland  at  the 
corner  of  Fourteenth  and  Clay  streets,  built  since  the 
earthquake,  one  of  the  finest  structures  in  the  business 
center  of  Oakland. 

86 


Zeno  Mauvais  Julius  R.  Weber  William  G.  Badger 

C.  H.  McCurrie  Matthias  Gray 

HEADS  OF  PIONEER  MUSIC  HOUSES  OF  SAN   FRANCISCO 


Since  music  was  so  much  a  part  of  the  life  of  the 
earlier  days  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention  the  names 
of  a  few  great  specialists  of  that  time.  There  were 
the  Zechs,  Jacob  and  Fred,  manufacturers  and  repairers. 
Many  examples  of  the  former's  work  still  exist.  Jacob 
was  encouraged  by  the  late  Wm.  C.  Ralston  and  built 
many  grand  pianos  for  the  old  Palace  Hotel  and  other 
places.  Both  the  Zechs  have  passed  away  but  their 
descendants  are  in  the  front  rank  as  musical  artists, 
teachers  and  composers.  A  celebrated  artist  in  his  line 
was  Urban,  the  violin  repairer.  Phaff,  the  flute  and 
clarinet  man  was  another.  Others  were  Senor  Nojica, 
maker  of  guitars,  harps  in  the  Italian  quarter  of  Kearny 
street,  Charles  Merrill,  of  banjos,  Tall  Dan  Delaney, 
drummer  at  Maguire's  Theater  (who  wouldn't  learn  a 
note  of  music  and  played  as  he  pleased)  who  repaired  drums, 
and  C.  C.  Keene,  maker  of  accordeons,  in  former  days 
much  played,  Professor  Wm.  T.  Ferrer,  the  guitarist, 
lately  deceased,  came  here  in  early  days  from  Mexico 
with  his  family  and  made  a  place  for  himself  as  a  guitar 
and  mandolin  teacher.  His  family  were  all  talented, 
Annita  Ferrer  was  a  beautiful  soprano  singer  and  sang 
in  concert  and  church.  She  occupied  the  place  as  soloist 
in  Calvary  Church  for  a  while  when  the  choir  was  com- 
posed of  Harry  Gates,  tenor,  Fred  Borneman,  bass, 
M.  R.  Blake,  contralto,  G.  A.  Scott,  organist.  Prof. 
Ferrer  was  not  a  commonplace  performer,  but  played 
operatic  selections  of  his  own  arrangement  for  the  guitar 
that  no  one  else  attempted  as  far  as  I  can  recollect. 
He  had  a  severe  time  in  the  beginning  as  prices  for 
lessons  were  so  low,  and  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep 
the  wolf  from  the  door.  We  gave  him  several  benefits 
which  were  greatly  appreciated.  One  night  we  crowded 
the  old  Mercantile  Hall  with  his  admirers.  The  singers 
and  players  were  Mrs.  Hall  McAllister,  Mrs.  Marriner- 
Campbell,  Clara  Tippits,  Amphion  Quartette,  Mrs.  M.  R. 
Blake,  Sig.  Mancusie,  Wunderlich,  J.  Stadfeldt,  Harry 
Hunt,  accompanist.  I  shall  always  remember  that  night. 
The  dear  professor  thanked  us  with  broken  speech,  tears 
filling  his  eyes.  He  said  the  excellent  program  was  a 
surprise  and  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  he  had  in 
California.  He  was  made  doubly  glad  by  a  well-filled 
purse  of  a  thousand  dollars,  the  receipts  of  the  concert. 
This  act  on  our  part  made  him  our  perpetual  friend 
until  he  died.  He  lived  long  enough  to  see  his  prices 
increased  fourfold,  which  enabled  him  in  his  later  years 
to  live  in  apparent  comfort.  We  were  glad  of  it  for 

87 


everybody  liked  Prof.  M.  W.  Ferrer.  He  passed  to  his 
rest  several  years  ago. 

Among  the  earlier  piano  dealers  were  Badger  & 
Lindenberger,  who  handled  the  Chickering  pianos  and 
also  did  a  wholesale  clothing  business  (a  strange  com- 
bination) at  Battery  and  Merchant  streets.  After  several 
years  they  were  succeeded  by  the  surviving  partner, 
Wm.  G.  Badger,  who  continued  the  business  until  his 
death,  after  which  it  was  disposed  of  by  his  heirs.  Mr. 
Badger  was  a  faithful  worker  in  the  Sabbath  schools 
and  took  a  deep  interest  to  promote  good  music  among 
the  young.  Some  time  in  1874  he  produced  the  can- 
tata of  Esther,  with  Madam  Anna  Bishop,  queen,  W.  C. 
Campbell,  king,  Vernon  Lincoln,  Hamen,  Mrs.  M.  R. 
Blake,  Hamen's  wife.  The  old  Platt's  hall  was  packed  to 
its  fullest  capacity.  The  cantata  was  given  to  the  un- 
bounded delight  of  Mr.  Badger,  and  the  audience  cheered 
us  all  to  the  utmost.  Enthusiasm  was  at  the  highest  pitch 
and  encomiums  of  praise  were  showered  upon  us.  Those 
were  halcyon  days  for  fine  singers.  We  had  no  lack  of 
voices  to  call  upon  at  all  times. 

Among  the  earliest  music  stores  was  that  of  an  aged 
Italian  named  Salvator  Rosa.  He  occupied  half  of  a 
store  on  Montgomery  street,  near  Market,  and  was  a 
genial,  quiet  old  gentleman,  who  spoke  very  little  English. 
His  stock  was  principally  selections  from  Italian  operas, 
of  which  he  knew  every  note.  Both  American  and 
Italian  artists  loved  to  visit  the  old  fellow  and  sun 
themselves  in  his  doorway.  Rosa  moved  later  to  Sacra- 
mento street  and  continued  in  the  field  and  was  followed 
by  Rasche  Bros.,  in  turn  by  J.  T.  Bowers,  a  brother-in- 
law  of  the  Rasche  brothers.  After  Bowers,  the  business 
was  conducted  by  Chas.  S.  Eaton,  and  then  after  some 
years  faded  from  sight.  Also  established  in  the  music 
literature  business  at  one  time  in  Clay  street,  was 
Schubert  &  Co.'s  branch  New  York  house,  succeeded  by 
the  Ruppell  Bros.,  their  managers,  who  later  gave  up 
the  business.  Blackman  &  Davis,  Southerners,  tried  the 
business  for  a  while,  being  among  the  first  to  occupy  a 
store  in  the  original  Phelan  Building.  Another  off-shoot 
of  Gray's  was  John  Broder,  who  commenced  work  as 
a  little  boy.  He  is  now  in  ripe  manhood  conducting 
a  similar  business  in  the  Byron  Mauzy  building  on  Post 
street  where  he  is  still  successfully  conducting  the  work 
he  chose  when  a  boy. 

Engaged  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  music  business 
was  Woodworth,  Allover  &  Co.  Here  the  founder  of  the 


present  firm  of  Benj.  Curtaz  &  Son  was  employed 
Woodworth,  Allover  &  Co.  dealt  mostly  in  imported 
French  pianos  and  harmoniums.  They  were  succeeded 
by  Woodworth,  Schell  &  Co.  and  with  them  was  con- 
nected Mr.  Curtaz,  who  later  was  in  the  firm  of  Hemme 
&  Long.  Woodworth,  Schell  &  Co.  after  several  years 
discontinued.  A.  L.  Bancroft  &  Co.  for  a  few  years 
also  engaged  in  the  music  business  on  Market  street  but 
later  retired.  A.  Waldteufel  was  a  late  comer  from 
San  Jose  and  sold  Blethner  pianos.  His  chief  clerk 
was  the  late  well  known  Julius  Oetel,  a  fine  teacher  of 
the  piano  and  an  encyclopedia  of  musical  knowledge. 
Later  he  was  in  the  music  department  of  the  branch 
house  in  Oakland  of  Kohler,  Chase  &  Co.  with  whom 
he  was  connected  until  sickness  prevented  his  continuing 
in  the  business  any  longer.  He  died  several  years  ago, 
mourned  by  many  friends  he  had  made  in  his  long  career 
of  music  in  the  state.  S.  H.  Long,  a  music  teacher 
from  Marysville,  after  handling  the  Chickering  piano 
for  a  while  at  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Post  streets 
was  joined  by  August  Hemme  and  for  several  years 
they  manufactured  the  Hemme  &  Long  pianos.  They 
are  both  deceased  and  the  business  was  continued  for  a 
while  by  Mr.  E.  Caswell  and  Mr.  Curtaz  but  finally 
was  wound  up. 

The  well  known  firm  of  the  Zeno  Mauvais  Music  Co. 
was  established  in  1877  at  420  Twelfth  street,  Oakland, 
under  the  name  of  its  founder,  Zeno  Mauvais.  In  1882 
it  was  deemed  best  to  locate  in  San  Francisco  and  at 
749  Market  street  the  stock  and  sign  was  first  shown  to 
the  people  on  that  side  of  the  bay.  Two  years  later 
the  business  had  so  increased  as  to  make  a  removal  to 
more  commodious  quarters  an  absolute  necessity.  769 
Market  street  was  secured  and  with  the  increased  facili- 
ties for  carrying  stock  and  attending  to  the  wants  of 
patrons  the  business  was  soon  in  a  fair  way  to  eclipse 
in  volume  its  oldest  competitors.  Mr.  Mauvais  saw  early 
in  his  musical  career  that  the  public  demanded  more 
"up-to-date  methods"  in  the  way  of  "bargains"  "right 
prices"  and  "square  dealing"  than  had  been  offered 
before,  and  he  began  to  put  into  operation  the  policy  of 
"quick  sales  and  small  profits"  which  was  characteristic 
of  the  house  during  its  entire  existence  and  brought  to  it 
an  ever  increasing  trade.  One  of  the  special  features 
was  the  handling  of  enormous  quantities  of  the  50-cent 
folios  and  the  10-cent  editions  of  popular  issues.  These 
were  bought  in  carload  lots  and  sent  out  to  nearly  every 

89 


quarter  of  the  globe.  Pianos  and  musical  goods  of  all 
descriptions  were  included  in  the  lines  carried  by  the 
firm,  whose  well  known  policy  of  discounting  its  bills 
enabled  it  to  secure  very  desirable  agencies  and  lowest 
prices  on  all  purchases.  In  June,  1890,  the  house  sus- 
tained an  irreparable  loss  by  the  death  of  its  founder, 
Zeno  Mauvais,  who  passed  away  after  a  very  brief 
illness.  Devotion  to  business  and  a  never  ceasing  expen- 
diture of  energy  and  vital  force  was  the  cause  of  this 
man's  withdrawal  from  the  activity  of  an  hitherto  busy 
life,  during  which  he  made  and  kept  many  friends.  The 
incorporation  of  the  firm  under  the  name  of  the  Zeno 
Mauvais  Co.  was  the  next  change  made  in  the  affairs  of 
this  house.  Mrs.  Mae  Mauvais  was  elected  president 
and  during  the  next  five  years  her  brother,  R.  L.  Eames, 
occupied  the  position  of  manager.  At  this  time  a  change 
being  deemed  expedient,  Mr.  H.  S.  Stedman,  who  had 
been  connected  with  the  house  since  1883,  was  elected 
as  manager  and  secretary,  continuing  as  such  until  the 
conflagration  of  1906  destroyed  the  entire  stock  together 
with  all  the  books  of  the  concern. 

Under  the  new  management  the  firm  renewed  its 
effort  to  expand  and  took  the  two  upper  floors  of  the 
building  in  addition  to  the  one  previously  occupied.  A 
very  successful  feature  was  the  division  of  the  lower  floor 
into  rooms  for  the  display  and  sale  of  different  kinds 
of  small  goods,  each  having  a  room  of  its  own.  This 
was  a  new  thing  on  the  coast  and  was  fully  appreciated 
by  the  large  number  of  patrons  who  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  to  try  instruments  in  comparative  seclu- 
sion. In  1904  the  largest  holder  of  stock,  Mr.  Roy 
Mauvais,  who  was  actively  engaged  in  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  firm  desired  to  concentrate  his  energies 
in  furthering  other  lines  of  business  in  which  he  had 
engaged,  and  found  more  congenial.  At  this  time  an 
offer  from  the  Wiley  B.  Allen  Co.  to  purchase  the  entire 
stock  of  pianos,  organs  and  piano  players  was  accepted, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  of  the  sale  the 
stock  of  small  goods,  sheet  music  and  books  was  moved 
to  933  Market  street,  in  the  room  adjoining  the  piano 
warerooms  of  the  Allen  Company  and  there  handled 
under  the  name  of  the  Zeno  Mauvais  Music  Co.  until 
the  fire  of  April,  1906,  obliterated  all  traces  of  it.  It 
was  not  considered  advisable  by  the  stockholders  to 
re-establish  the  business  after  this  unfortunate  occurrence 
and  so  one  of  the  best  and  most  favorably  known  music 
houses  of  the  Pacific  Coast  ceased  to  exist. 

90 


C.  C.  Clay 
Leander  S.  Sherman 

MUSIC   HOUSE  OF  SHERMAN,   CLAY   &   CO. 
San  Francisco 


I  will  close  my  chapter  with  the  story  of  the  Zeno 
Mauvais  Company.  My  story  deals  only  with  early  Tiis- 
tory,  for  it  would  not  be  possible  for  me  to  give  any 
accurate  account  of  the  business  except  from  1851  to 
1877.  I  moved  away  from  San  Francisco  twice  and 
as  my  work  was  upon  different  lines,  I  got  out  of  touch. 
My  music  was  confined  to  the  churches  and  concert 
halls  and  teaching  in  music  and  art  and  other  branches 
of  industrial  development  for  the  young  of  our  growing 
city.  I  am  indebted  to  my  good  musical  friends  of 
earlier  days  for  much  of  this  knowledge. 

When  my  earlier  co-workers  in  music  heard  that  I 
was  to  write  about  our  early  days  they  were  all  inter- 
ested and  entered  into  the  proposition  with  unabated 
enthusiasm  and  not  one  has  refused  to  give  me  informa- 
tion to  make  this  volume  a  souvenir  of  the  days  when 
we  began  as  factors  in  the  development  of  music  from 
the  small  beginnings  of  1850  to  the  solid  foundations  of 
to-day. 


91 


CHAPTER  TEN 


AS   A   CHURCH    CHOIR   SINGER.      BARNABEE,   ZERRAHN,   PATTI, 
JENNY  LIND,  JOE  MAGUIRE,  SAM  MAYER,  HARRY  GATES 

Y  career  as  a  church  singer  dates  as  far  back  as 
my  childhood.  As  children  our  father  pressed 
us  into  the  service  of  the  Sabbath  school  and 
church  services.  There  were  seven  girls  and 
three  boys.  As  soon  as  we  were  old  enough 
to  do  the  work,  our  parts  were  assigned  to  us,  consequently 
singing  the  church  service  was  part  of  my  young  life. 
Before  I  could  read  the  notes  I  was  able  to  make  an  alto 
part  to  almost  any  hymn.  That  is  one  reason  why  I  do  not 
read  notes  as  readily  as  others,  for  it  was  easier  for  me  to 
make  my  own  part  than  take  the  trouble  to  read  the  music. 
But  later  on  I  was  obliged  to  read  my  part,  if  I  sang  in 
concert  with  others. 

We  moved  from  Illinois  and  settled  in  Cincinnati  in 
1845.  My  father  was  the  founder  of  the  Betts  Street 
First  German  Reformed  Church  and  was  its  pastor  for 
seven  years.  During  that  time  I  sang  each  Sabbath. 
When  father  came  to  California  and  another  pastor  occu- 
pied the  pulpit,  we  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  parson- 
age. Other  arrangements  were  made  for  the  music 
and  my  sister  Mary  became  the  organist  of  the  old 
Sixth  Street  Presbyterian  Church  and  Mr.  Charles  Aiken, 
director  of  the  music.  By  accident  I  went  with  my 
sister  Mary  and  sat  in  the  choir  loft.  Mr.  Aiken  noticed 
my  presence  and  recognized  me  as  one  of  his  pupils  in 
the  public  school  where  he  taught  the  singing  during  the 
week.  Surprised  at  seeing  me  he  asked  how  I  happened 
to  come  into  the  choir.  I  told  him  I  was  with  my  sister, 
Miss  Kroh,  "Ah,"  he  replied,  and  smiled  and  left  me.  I 
saw  him  in  conversation  after  she  had  finished  her 
voluntary.  When  she  was  seated  beside  me  she  said, 
"Maggie,  when  the  choir  arises  to  sing  go  over  and  stand 
with  the  altos  and  sing  with  them."  When  the  time 
came  she  gave  me  the  music  and  I  sang  my  first  service 
when  I  was  ten  years  old,  in  a  double  quartette  and  in 
that  capacity  I  sang  for  five  years,  each  service,  until 
1850,  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  when  father  had 

92 


Mrs.  Emma  Jane  Kroh-Knight 
Mrs.  Sarah  Rebecca  Kroh-Harrold  Mrs.  Ann  Lauretta  Kroh-Zimmerman 

Sir  Geo.  Henry  Blake 

Mrs.  Margaret  R.  Kroh-Blake-Alverson         Mrs.  Mary  Matilda  Kroh-Trembly 
Wm.  H.  Knight  James  Holmes  Wm.  W.  Trembly 

THE   FIRST   CHURCH   CHOIR   IN   CALIFORNIA 
Stockton,  1852 


arrived  in  California  and  sent  the  gold  for  us  to  follow 
him  to  the  golden  land,  as  he  called  it. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  California  there  were 
no  choirs  or  singers  in  San  Joaquin  county.  There  was 
one  Catholic  church  in  Stockton  but  it  was  only  a 
mission  and  the  worshippers  were  Spanish  and  Mexicans, 
priest,  Father  Mauritz.  Our  family  was  the  first  white 
family  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  there  being  only  one 
white  woman  in  the  place  and  she  was  the  wife  of 
Rev.  James  Woods.  Gladly  she  received  us  and  we 
were  made  welcome  at  her  home  for  two  weeks  before 
we  were  able  to  see  father,  who  had  been  sick  in  Scorpion 
Gulch  for  some  time  and  we  were  obliged  to  await  his 
coming.  After  the  arrival  of  our  father  it  was  planned 
that  a  choir  should  be  established  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  which  Rev.  Mr.  Woods  was  pastor. 
We  had  all  the  female  voices  needed.  We  had  made  the 
acquaintance  of  several  of  the  prominent  men  in  Stock- 
ton who  were  fortunately  also  singers,  and  they  readily 
consented  to  sing  as  members  of  the  choir.  What  was 
to  be  done  fer  music?  There  was  nothing  to  be  had 
in  Stockton.  There  were  two  music  stores  in  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  first  task  was  to  supply  an  instrument,  if 
possible.  Fortune  favored  us  and  between  the  joint 
efforts  of  these  musical  people  we  obtained  a  good  sized 
Mason  and  Hamlin  melodeon,  which  was  duly  installed 
into  the  choir  of  the  church.  The  choir  members  were 
as  follows:  Sopranos:  Miss  Emma  Jane  Kroh,  Miss 
Sarah  Rebecca  Kroh;  Altos:  Miss  Mary  M.  Kroh,  Miss 
Margaret  R.  Kroh;  Tenors:  Wm.  W.  Trembly,  Henry 
Noel,  George  H.  Blake;  Bass:  Wm.  H.  Knight,  James 
Holmes,  Wm.  Belding;  Organist,  Miss  Mary  M.  Kroh. 

These  men  and  women  were  the  original  members  of 
the  first  choir  that  had  its  beginning  in  Stockton,  in 
1851.  During  the  years  of  1853  and  later,  the  men  who 
had  families  in  the  Eastern  cities  arranged  for  their  com- 
ing and  not  many  months  elapsed  before  we  had  a  goodly 
number  of  splendid  ladies,  the  wives  of  these  men,  and 
some  children  and  young  maidens.  Quite  a  colony  of 
musical  folks  sprang  up.  They  took  an  interest  in  the 
different  choirs  that  had  been  formed.  There  were  the 
Episcopal,  Methodist  and  Baptist  missions,  begun  during 
this  time,  and  they  had  their  followers  and  formed 
their  musical  services  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to 
procure  singers.  During  this  time  there  came  to  Stock- 
ton from  New  York,  Mr.  Henry  B.  Underbill.  He 
was  not  only  a  fine  organist  but  an  organ  builder.  He 

93 


at  once  joined  our  colony  of  musicians  and  we  re- 
joiced in  the  addition  of  a  second  organist  to  rely 
upon.  Up  to  this  time  my  sister  was  the  only  available 
musician  that  could  be  called  upon  to  play  on  all  occa- 
sions where  music  was  needed.  The  Episcopal  mission 
of  which  Rev.  E.  W.  Hager  was  rector,  desired  my 
sister  as  organist  for  his  service  which  was  held  in  one 
of  the  large  rooms  of  the  city  hall.  As  Mr.  Underhill 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  faith  and  desired  to 
help  the  church  they  exchanged  places.  The  choir  had 
grown  rapidly,  some  of  the  singers  were  Episcopalians 
who  preferred  their  own  service  and  all  was  amicably 
settled  with  the  result  that  Stockton  could  boast  of  two 
choirs  and  two  organs,  or  melodeons. 

It  was  not  many  years  before  each  mission  had  built 
a  church  of  its  own  with  separate  organs  and  choirs. 
During  these  years  I  was  sent  to  the  Benicia  Seminary, 
the  only  available  school  in  the  state,  to  finish  my  educa- 
tion which  had  been  interrupted  when  I  left  Cincinnati 
to  come  west.  Miss  Atkins  worshiped  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  Rev.  Sylvester  Woodbridge,  pastor,  and  his 
daughter,  Miss  Mary  Emma  Woodbridge,  organist.  She 
also  attended  the  seminary  and  those  of  the  pupils  who 
could  sing  were  invited  into  the  choir.  I  was  one  that 
was  chosen  on  the  alto  side  to  help  in  the  worship. 
After  singing  here  for  a  year,  Miss  Atkins  joined  the 
Episcopal  church  and  was  confirmed  and  baptised  in  that 
faith  by  Bishop  'Wm.  Ingraham  Kip,  D.  D.  I  sang  a 
special  song  at  that  time.  I  was  now  eighteen  years  old 
and  was  in  the  last  year  of  my  school  days.  After  leav- 
ing school  I  returned  to  Stockton  where  I  again  joined 
the  Episcopal  choir — St.  John's — and  sang  until  I  was 
married,  September  17,  1857,  to  George  H.  Blake,  Rev. 
E.  W.  Hager,  rector,  reading  the  service. 

When  my  oldest  son  was  seven  months  old  we  went  to 
Boston,  Mass.,  and  later  to  Dedham,  a  suburban  town  out 
of  Boston,  when  my  husband  was  appointed  manager  of 
a  department  store  by  the  firm  of  Parker,  Barnes  and 
Merriam.  I  heard  my  first  concert,  where  I  listened  to 
some  of  the  great  singers  of  the  day  in  Boston  Music 
Hall,  January  28th,  1859.  The  oratorio,  "The  Messiah," 
was  given  by  the  Handel  &  Hayden  society,  with  300  or 
more  in  the  choir.  Among  the  soloists  were  Clara  Louisa 
Kellogg,  Isabelle  Hinkley,  Adelaide  Phillips,  Signor  Sti- 
gelli,  Mons.  Guilmetti.  '  On  April  3rd,  1859,  I  heard 
Neukomm's  grand  oratorio  of  David  with  grand  opera 
principles.  Among  the  singers  were  Mrs.  J.  H.  Long, 

94 


Louisa  Adams,  C.  R.  Adams,  P.  H.  Powers,  J.  P.  Draper, 
Edward  Hamilton,  George  Wright  Jr.,  Carl  Zerrahn, 
conductor,  J.  C.  D.  Parker,  organist.  After  these  two 
grand  performances  I  heard  many  oratorios  Sunday 
evenings  at  the  Boston  Music  Hall,  where  each  Sabbath 
a  sacred  concert  was  held  instead  of  evening  services  in 
the  churches.  These  opportunities  helped  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  my  musical  training.  The  oratorios  were 
interpreted  by  the  best  singers.  I  never  dreamed  of  such 
an  opportunity  when  my  husband  told  me  I  should  hear 
the  best  and  Boston  was  the  place. 

It  was  not  many  months  before  my  opportunity  came 
to  be  admitted  into  the  Oratorio  Society.  It  came  about 
like  this.  My  husband's  people  were  Unitarians  and 
attended  the  First  Church,  of  which  Starr  King,  then  a 
young  man,  was  pastor.  There  was  no  choir  singing,  but 
congregational  song  with  a  precentor  who  stood  in  the 
middle  aisle  and  led  the  people,  with  the  large  organ  at 
one  side  of  the  church,  J.  C.  D.  Parker,  organist.  As 
the  service  began  my  husband  said,  "Maggie,  when  the 
hymn  is  given  out  you  can  sing,  since  the  entire  congre- 
gation sings  here."  He  had  an  excellent  tenor  voice,  and 
we  both  sang,  unconscious  that  we  were  attracting  any 
attention.  Between  the  hymns  Mr.  Barnes  (the  precentor) 
stood  three  pews  behind  us.  After  the  service  was  ended 
he  came  to  our  pew  and  introduced  himself,  telling  us 
that  when  he  heard  my  contralto  he  thought  the  church 
had  a  visitor,  Miss  Adelaide  Phillips,  of  the  opera 
company,  and  Boston's  foremost  contralto.  He  was  sur- 
prised to  find  my  name  was  Blake  instead.  I  did  not 
know  until  I  heard  this  wonderfully  beautiful  singer  in 
opera  oratorio  how  highly  I  had  been  complimented. 
Then  I  realized  the  comparison  and  did  my  best  to  merit 
the  praise  which  had  been  bestowed  upon  me  in  my 
twentieth  year.  When  we  parted  Mr.  Barnes  invited  us 
to  meet  some  friends  at  his  home  on  Monday  evening, 
when  we  met  the  principal  members  and  officers  of  the 
Handel  and  Hayden  Society,  and  after  a  pleasant  evening 
of  part  song,  solos  and  duets,  I  was  asked  to  sing  for  the 
company.  I  was  reluctant  to  comply,  as  I  was  not  con- 
sidered a  solo  singer,  my  place  was  always  in  quartette 
work  and  duets.  Contraltos  were  not  so  popular  in  those 
days  as  the  soprano  and  tenor  and  not  considered  solo 
voices  where  I  ever  sang  before.  It  was  only  now  I 
realized  I  was  to  have  a  place  also.  As  I  sang  many 
beautiful  duets  with  my  husband,  we  favored  them  with 
a  number.  It  was  still  insisted  I  must  sing  a  song.  My 

95 


husband,  accustomed  to  accompany  me,  arose  and  led  me 
to  the  piano  and  I  sang  the  old  song,  When  the  Swallows 
Homeward  Fly,  in  the  German  language,  as  all  German 
songs  should  be  sung  to  bring  out  their  full  feeling  and 
significance.  That  song  was  the  climax  and  I  was  lionized 
for  the  rest  of  the  evening.  There  were  also  German 
professors  present  and  their  compliments  would  have 
turned  any  one's  head  were  it  not  poised  on  good  common 
sense  shoulders.  My  success  began  on  that  night. 

There  were  three  factions  or  grades  of  society  in 
Boston,  the  literary,  wealthy  and  musical.  The  position 
of  my  husband's  family  enabled  us  to  enter  all  three. 
Consequently  the  sails  of  my  ship,  success,  were  flung  to 
the  breeze  and  for  four  years  I  had  fair  winds  and 
bright  skies  in  the  realm  of  song.  Is  it  to  be  wondered 
at  that  memory  comes  floating  up  before  me  like  a  pano- 
rama of  beautiful  pictures  and  remembrances  of  happi- 
ness— times  enjoyed  with  souls  filled  with  the  love  of 
song,  good  comradeship  and  life-long  friendship  which  can 
never  be  erased?  It  is  here  where  I  sang  for  the  first 
time  with  the  renowned  singer  and  actor,  Henry  Clay 
Barnabee,  a  young  man  then,  just  three  years  my  senior, 
over  fifty  years  ago.  There  are  still  five  of  us  left  to  tell 
the  stories  of  the  singing  days,  when  the  city  of  Boston 
held  scores  of  the  finest  male  and  female  singers  that 
ever  pleased  an  exacting  public. 

On  April  3,  1859,  began  the  forty-third  season  of 
oratorio  with  such  singers  as  Mrs.  J.  H.  Long  and  Miss 
Louisa  Adams,  sopranos;  Adelaide  Phillips,  contralto; 
C.  R.  Adams,  P.  H.  Powers  and  J.  P.  Draper,  tenors; 
Edward  Hamilton,  George  Wright  Jr.  and  Carl  Formes, 
bass ;  Carl  Zerrahn,  conductor ;  J.  C.  D.  Parker,  organist, 
and  full  orchestra.  Among  the  productions  rendered  were : 
Magic  Flute,  David,  Creation,  Messiah,  Moses  in  Egypt, 
Samson,  Elijah,  etc.,  with  Clara  Louisa  Kellogg,  soprano; 
Isabella  Hinkley,  soprano;  Adelaide  Phillips,  contralto; 
Signor  Stigelli,  tenor;  Signer  Guilnetti,  bass. 

Grand  opera  began  the  season  of  1861  and  I  had  my 
first  opportunity  to  hear  an  opera  given  by  such  a  galaxy 
of  fine  artists,  being  a  member  of  the  Handel  and  Hayden 
Society,  and  assisting  in  the  chorus  and  also  a  member  of 
the  celebrated  choir  in  Dedham,  Mass.,  I  was  enabled  to 
have  especial  advantages  to  hear  this  grand  music.  "La 
Juive"  was  the  first  with  Mme  Colson,  Hinkley,  Signor 
Stigelli  and  Susini  as  Cardinal ;  Sig.  Hartman,  Mancini, 
Barilli,  Sig.  Sheele.  Martha  with  Colson,  Phillips,  Brignoli, 
Susini,  Arili,  Mancini ;  II  Guiramento  with  Colson,  Phillips, 

96 


• 


/!  u  • 


HENRY   CLAY   BARNABEE 
Associated  with  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  in  Boston,   1861 


Brignoli,  Farri;  Lucia  de  Lammermoor  with  Isabel  Hink- 
ley,  Sig.  Ferri,  Sig.  Lotti,  Stigelli  and  N.  Birelli. 

At  the  close  of  the  season,  January  28,  Sig.  Stigelli 
was  prevailed  upon  to  give  a  farewell  concert  in  Boston 
Music  Hall,  assisted  by  the  Oratorio  Society  and  Orpheus 
Musical  Society.  Soloists  for  the  occasion  were  Mile. 
Carlotta  Patti,  who  sang  the  aria  from  the  Magic  Flute, 
Carl  Formes,  basso  profundi,  Signor  Stigelli,  tenor.  It 
was  a  gala  night  and  every  seat  was  filled  at  the  exact 
hour  to  hear  for  the  last  time  the  famous  tenor  who  had 
sung  himself  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  by  his  beautiful 
voice  and  exquisite  singing  of  the  different  arias  of  the 
opera  in  which  he  excelled.  The  hall  was  crowded  to 
overflowing.  Never  had  I  beheld  such  beautifully  gowned 
women  and  brilliant  lights ;  the  tremendous  chorus  and  the 
full  orchestra  left  a  lasting  impression  upon  me  which 
cannot  be  erased  by  time.  It  is  over  fifty  years  since  I 
saw  such  gorgeous  splendor  and  heard  the  marvelous 
singing  of  these  birds  of  song.  The  singing  of  Mile. 
Carlotta  Patti  was  a  revelation  almost  beyond  my  con- 
ception. I  heard  her  in  1861  and  heard  Adelina  in  1886, 
twenty-five  years  afterwards,  and  of  the  two  sisters  I'd 
give  Carlotta  the  preference.  Her  trills  were  like 
warblings  of  the  birds  and  filled  the  auditorium  and 
floated  to  the  high  arched  ceiling  of  the  cupola  in  the 
center  of  the  hall  and  sounded  like  a  chorus  of  birds 
rejoicing  over  the  advent  of  their  nestlings.  Words  are 
not  adequate  to  explain  the  beautiful  work  of  this  petite 
singer  and  the  reception  she  received  on  this  occasion. 
This  concert  was  my  first  opportunity  to  hear  such  artists. 
They  were  singers  and  players  of  the  highest  art. 

It  was  to  me  not  real.  The  music  that  I  had  heard 
and  sung  before  was  sacred,  on  the  Sabbath,  and  in 
songs  familiar  at  that  time,  Home,  Sweet  Home,  Swanee 
River,  Mary  of  Argyle,  etc.,  and  songs  moderately  diffi- 
cult, anthems  and  Te  Deums  and  German  leider  were 
all  we  aspired  to.  Others  than  these  were  not  to 
be  thought  of.  Nothing  worldly  was  tolerated.  The 
minister's  daughters  must  always  be  proper  in  all  walks 
of  life.  In  1846  when  Jenny  Lind  made  her  tour 
of  the  world  my  sister  Mary  was  the  fortunate  one  to  be 
able  to  hear  her.  All  of  her  beautiful  songs  were  in  vogue 
and  I  was  familiar  with  them,  as  my  sister  was  a  fine 
singer.  She  obtained  these  songs  and  although  it  is  over 
sixty-six  years  ago  I  still  have  a  great  number  of  them, 
yellow  with  age,  published  by  Pond  and  Company,  and 
Oliver  Ditson  Company.  These  publishing  houses-  were 

97 


founded  during  my  early  life,  Ditson  and  Company  began 
in  1834  and  I  was  born  in  1836.  When  I  was  ten  years 
old  I  was  sent  to  these  places  to  purchase  the  music  sister 
required  in  her  teaching,  church  and  home  songs.  For 
sixty-seven  years  I  have  patronized  the  house  of  Ditson 
and  Company.  The  original  men  have  passed  out  and  the 
sons  are  now  the  members  of  the  firm.  Only  this  year  I 
received  a  cheery  holiday  greeting  from  the  firm.  I  have 
digressed  somewhat  and  gone  back  to  my  girlhood  days 
in  Cincinnati. 

Let  us  return  again  to  Boston  fifty  years  ago  and  listen 
to  this  fine  concert  given  in  Boston  Music  Hall.  It  is 
almost  impossible  for  me  to  describe  the  grandeur  of  this 
magnificent  chorus  and  the  orchestra  and  grand  organ 
with  Carl  Zerrahn  directing  this  multitude  of  singers  and 
players  and  Howard  Dow  at  the  organ,  playing  with  such 
a  masterful  touch.  The  brilliant  audience  listened  with 
marked  attention  to  this  beautiful  music  and  the  stillness 
was  only  broken  by  the  mighty  applause  of  approval  at 
the  close  of  the  grand  performance  and  the  repeated  recall 
of  the  artists  who  deserved  all  of  this  great  demonstration. 
The  first  great  concert  was  but  the  beginning  of  my 
career.  In  the  four  years  I  had  opportunities  that  were 
of  a  lasting  profit  to  me.  It  was  the  cradle  of  my  musical 
life  and  I  often  go  back  in  my  mind  and  see  those 
beautiful  singers  I  learned  to  love  as  friends  and  com- 
panions in  song.  Friends  made  then  have  lasted  as  long 
as  life.  All  have  passed  beyond  and  only  five  or  six  of 
the  galaxy  of  male  and  female  singers  of  that  time  are 
left  to  remember  with  pleasure  the  days  of  Auld  Lang 
Syne. 

During  this  period  of  1861  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
and  every  patriotic  man  and  woman  was  called  into  action. 
The  union  of  the  states  must  be  preserved.  The  excite- 
ment was  intense.  Volunteers  were  called  for  and  business 
men,  clerks  and  rich  men  enrolled  at  once  and  soon  our 
boys  and  men  were  drilling  for  the  march  to  the  south. 
It  was  not  many  weeks  before  the  order  was  given  to 
march.  The  first  fire  had  been  heard  at  Fort  Sumter  and 
the  American  citizen  soon  became  a  soldier  and  as  the  call 
was  given  he  marched  away.  Shall  I  ever  forget  the  sight 
of  those  splendid  young  men  as  they  marched  away, 
company  after  company.  As  I  saw  them  in  the  strength 
of  their  manhood  going  to  their  destruction,  my  heart 
wept  inwardly  knowing  many  of  them  would  never 
return.  But  those  at  home  had  no  time  for  repining, 
and  we  were  called  upon  also  to  supply  the  needs  of  the 

98 


soldier  who  was  fighting  for  us  with  willing  hands  and 
stout  heart.  Each  one  kept  busy.  Our  choir  was  enlisted 
when  the  call  came  for  funds,  and  faithfully  we  all 
responded.  Many  choirs  were  united  by  Edwin  Bruce, 
and  we  were  at  once  formed  into  a  chorus  of  willing 
singers,  great  and  small,  in  the  realms  of  music,  and  in 
several  months  were  well  equipped  for  the  work  of  raising 
funds  for  the  war  needs.  The  chorus  was  formed  from 
Dr.  Burgess'  choir  of  Dedham,  Newton  Musical  Associa- 
tion, Boudoin  Street  choir,  Church  of  the  Unity  choir, 
the  Bullfinch  choir,  number  200  voices  in  all,  We  were 
known  as  the  Operatic  Bouquet  of  artists.  Our  repertoire 
consisted  of  national  and  martial  songs,  our  choruses 
selected  from  the  following  great  compositions: 

II  Trovatore,  Verdi;  Lucrezia  Borgia,  Donizetti;  Martha, 
Flotow;  Semiramide,  Rossini;  War  Songs  (male  voices),  Adams; 
Bohemian  Girl,  Balfe ;  I  Puritani,  Bellini ;  Maritana,  Wallace ;  Mas- 
iniello,  Auber;  Enchantress,  Balfe;  Hark,  Apollo,  H.  R.  Bishop; 
Enchantress  (male  voices)  Balfe;  solo  and  choruses  from  Lucrezia 
Borgia,  Donizetti ;  Hail  to  the  Chief,  II  Templario,  Nicolai ;  quintette 
and  chorus  from  Martha,  Flotow ;  Miserere,  from  II  Trovatore, 
Verdi ;  Chorus  of  Martyrs,  Donizetti ;  La  Fille  Du  Regiment, 
Donizetti ;  chorus  from  Maritana,  Wallace ;  chorus  from  II  Lombardi, 
Verdi ;  trio  and  chorus,  Attila,  Verdi ;  solo  and  chorus,  Martha, 
Flotow ;  trio,  Charity,  Rossini ;  trio  and  chorus,  Ernani,  Verdi ; 
chorus,  full,  Gibby  La  Cornemuse,  Clapisson. 

In  the  spirit  of  the  times  these  two  hundred  voices 
trained  especially  for  the  occasion,  it  was  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  success  followed  our  efforts.  Whenever 
we  were  called  old  Tremont  Temple  was  filled  to  the 
doors.  Our  treasury  was  never  depleted  during  all  the 
months  we  were  doing  service  in  the  cause  of  the  soldier 
and  his  needs.  Boston  Music  Hall,  churches  in  the  smaller 
cities  were  always  filled  to  overflowing  whenever  we 
appeared  in  Dedham,  Medford,  Roxbury  and  Old  South 
Church.  For  nearly  two  years  this  work  went  on.  In 
1862  my  husband  decided  to  come  home  once  more,  as 
there  was  less  need  for  our  services.  We  were  in  Santa 
Cruz  when  the  war  ended,  still  helping  the  cause  through 
the  Christian  Sanitary  Commission,  founded  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  rebellion.  Money  was  supplied  through 
this  medium,  and  through  free  contributions  from  the 
different  states  of  the  Union  and  churches  and  societies, 
etc.  Having  had  much  experience  in  the  East  we  were 
enabled  to  be  of  great  assistance  to  the  musical  people  of 
Santa  Cruz  and  made  successful  entertainments  for  the 
cause  for  the  following  year  which  aroused  the  patriotic 

99 


fire  in  the  hearts  of  the  California  defenders  of  the  Union 
and  crowned  our  efforts  with  success  until  the  end  of  this 
dreadful  war. 

In  1869,  Mr.  Blake  having  failed  in  his  business,  we 
left  Santa  Cruz  and  returned  once  more  to  San  Francisco 
to  retrieve  our  lost  fortune.  Youth,  hope  and  energy  were 
my  strong  salient  points  and  I  began  in  earnest  to  gain  a 
substantial  footing  in  music.  My  opportunity  came  with 
the  Lyster  Opera  troupe  and  through  efforts  of  a  friend, 
Mrs.  Cameron,  who  was  employed  there  as  soprano,  I 
secured  a  position  at  $20  per  week  during  their  season  in 
San  Francisco. 

I  regret  that  I  cannot  remember  the  name  of  the 
Baptist  pastor  during  my  stay  in  Santa  Cruz.  He  is  the 
only  minister  whose  name  I  have  failed  to  recall,  yet  I 
can  see  his  kindly  face,  and  I  gladly  helped  his  congrega- 
tion many  times  when  extra  help  was  needed.  It  has 
been  so  many  years  ago  there  is  no  one  to  help  me  in  my 
research.  This  is  the  first  link  in  my  chain  of  evidence 
that  has  to  be  left  unfinished,  to  my  sorrow. 

Returning  once  more  to  San  Francisco  I  gave  my 
services  in  the  choir  of  Calvary  Church,  then  on  the  north 
side  of  Bush  street,  between  Montgomery  and  Sansome 
streets,  Rev.  W.  A.  Scott,  pastor;  Prof.  G.  A.  Scott, 
organist,  and  Washington  Elliott,  choir  master  of  the  large 
chorus  choir.  I  became  the  alto  of  the  quartette,  Mrs. 
Van  Brunt  soprano,  W.  Elliott  tenor,  Charles  Parent  bass. 
Dr.  W.  A.  Scott  was  pastor  for  a  short  time  and  Rev.  W. 
Wadsworth  succeeded  him.  I  remained  in  this  choir 
until  1863,  when  I  was  offered  the  place  in  the  choir  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  with  a  salary  attached  for 
the  first  time  during  my  services  in  these  many  churches. 
Rev.  Mr.  Anderson  was  the  pastor  and  George  Pettinos 
organist.  Sarah  Watkins  soprano,  M.  R.  Blake  contralto, 
Matthew  Anderson  tenor,  Cornelius  Makin  bass — one  of 
the  best  choirs  in  the  city,  splendid  voices  and  good 
singers.  I  continued  here  nearly  two  years,  when  there 
was  an  offer  for  the  place  in  St.  John's  choir  for  me  at 
an  advanced  salary.  I  regretted  to  leave  where  I  had 
enjoyed  the  music  and  the  singers,  but  in  the  meantime 
my  husband  failed  in  business  and  I  had  two  children 
to  support.  I  accepted  the  St.  John's  choir  offer  for 
financial  reasons.  The  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  A.  Scott, 
Frederick  Katzenbach  organist,  Mrs.  Robert  Moore 
soprano,  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake  contralto,  Joseph  Maguire 
tenor,  and  later,  Vernon  Lincoln  and  C.  Makin,  bass.  I 
resigned  this  choir  after  almost  three  years'  service,  to 

100 


Richard  T.  Yarndley 
Chas.  H.  Schultz 


Gustav  A.  Scott 
Frederick  Katzenbach 


ORGANISTS  OF  THE  EARLY  YEARS  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO 


take  the  alto  position  in  Dr.  Lacy's  choir,  Congregational 
church,  corner  of  California  and  Dupont  streets.  Later 
Dr.  Stone  arrived  and  on  the  Sabbath  of  his  first  sermon 
the  organist  was  Mr.  Douglas;  Georgiana  Leach,  Mrs. 
Northrup,  Mrs.  Oliphant,  sopranos;  Mrs.  Margaret  Blake, 
Miss  Abbie  Oliphant,  altos;  Signer  Gregg,  basso;  Joe 
Maguire,  tenor,  with  a  small  chorus  choir  added.  The  musi- 
cal service  was  of  a  high  order.  The  sopranos  were  the 
foremost  singers  of  their  time.  Mrs.  Leach  left  later 
and  became  the  soprano  of  Starr  King  Unitarian  Church 
in  Stockton  street.  Mrs.  Northrup  went  to  the  new  First 
Congregational  Church  in  Post  and  Mason  streets.  She 
was  there  for  years.  Samuel  D.  Mayer  was  organist  at 
that  time,  Dr.  Stone  pastor  and  later  Dr.  Adams.  At  the 
time  of  writing  Dr.  Charles  F.  Aked  from  New  York  is 
pastor. 

When  Dr.  Stone  arrived  from  the  East  he  had  also  in 
his  company  Mr.  George  Powers,  and,  by  some  arrange- 
ment, without  any  warning,  the  organist  and  quartette  were 
unseated  by  the  clique  he  had  formed  of  his  friends.  The 
members  of  his  quartette  were  in  their  places  the  next 
Sabbath  when  the  regular  quartette  arrived,  consequently 
we  all  were  obliged  to  retire.  When  the  new  choir  began 
there  was  a  surprise  in  store  for  every  one.  There  was 
nothing  for  the  old  choir  to  do  but  walk  out.  There  was 
great  grief  over  the  abrupt  dismissal.  Mr.  Benchly  of 
the  musical  committee  was  consulted  and  nothing  could 
be  done  with  the  friends  of  the  new  pastor.  It  was  a 
church  scandal  of  the  gravest  sort.  Dr.  Powers  was  from 
the  East  and  intended  to  show  San  Francisco  superior 
music  from  Boston.  He  found  out  before  he  had  been 
there  long  that  superior  men  and  women  were  already  in 
the  field,  and  while  he  continued  at  the  church  as  organist 
his  influence  in  music  had  been  tainted  and  his  band  of 
singers  were  so  inferior  to  those  ousted  that  they  had 
but  a  short  life  in  the  church.  I  immediately  returned  to 
St.  Patrick's  Church  in  Mission  street  and  remained  there 
altogether  ten  years.  Our  work  was  very  difficult  and 
we  had  many  high  days  and  holidays,  requiems,  fes- 
tivals and  concerts  for  the  organ  fund  which  had  been 
ordered  from  abroad,  and  we  were  supposed  to  help  the 
organ  fund  along  until  it  came.  I  am  not  sure  how  many 
concerts  we  gave,  but  they  were  all  of  a  high  standard. 
Professor  Dohrmann,  one  of  our  leading  musicians,  was 
organist,  also  leader  of  orchestras,  and  our  concerts  were 
given  with  orchestral  accompaniment.  Besides  the  great 
voices  in  the  choir  we  had  operatic  stars  whenever  they 

101 


came  with  their  troupes.  Nearly  all  of  the  Italians  being 
Catholics,  Father  Gray  easily  obtained  their  services  and 
our  soloists  were  artists  music-lovers  were  glad  to  hear. 
By  permisson  of  Professor  Dohrmann  I  have  inserted  this 
picture  of  the  organ.  It  is  the  only  thing  left  of  this 
magnificent  instrument,  which  cost  $10,000.  The  earth- 
quake and  fire  left  not  a  vestige  of  anything  that  could 
be  kept  as  a  relic — one  of  the  most  beautiful  organs  that 
I  ever  sang  with  and  played  by  the  dean  of  organists. 

During  my  time  there  were  five  fine  singers,  singing 
this  difficult  music :  Mrs.  Taylor,  a  Spanish  soprano ; 
Mrs.  Urgi,  English  soprano;  Miss  Louisa  Tourney,  French 
soprano ;  Signora  Bianchi,  Italian  soprano,  who  afterwards 
became  the  contralto  when  her  voice  fell  by  much  singing 
and  age.  I  became  alarmed  and  feared  I  would  also  be 
obliged  to  resign.  I  was  offered  the  position  in  Calvary 
Church  once  more.  A  new  Calvary  had  been  built  on  the 
corner  of  Geary  and  Powell  streets,  Rev.  John  Hemphill, 
pastor.  I  mentioned  the  fact  to  our  leader,  Prof.  Dohr- 
mann, and  he  objected  to  my  going,  saying  he  could  not 
replace  me.  When  I  told  him  I  had  been  offered  a  year's 
contract  witth  more  pay  he  consented.  I  remained  until 
he  obtained  another  contralto  in  Miss  Ella  Steele.  I  re- 
mained as  contralto  in  this  choir  for  the  years  that  Rev. 
John  Hemphill  held  it,  which  was  twelve  years,  and  also 
with  Rev.  Mr.  Spucher.  At  the  same  time  I  sang  on 
Saturdays  at  the  Synagogue  in  Mission  street,  Rabbi  Bet- 
telheim,  with  the  members  of  Calvary  choir,  excepting  the 
soprano.  The  choir  soprano  of  the  Synagogue  was  Miss 
Carrie  Hineman  and  Mr.  Newman  was  bass.  I  was  the 
contralto  of  both  choirs,  Harry  Gates,  tenor.  I  continued 
in  this  choir  six  years.  I  had  advanced  toward  the  age  of 
fifty  years  and  the  work  of  the  two  church  choirs,  my 
many  singing  pupils,  art  work,  added  to  my  professional 
work,  began  to  tell  upon  my  strength  and  at  last  I  felt  I 
must  do  something  as  a  remedy  or  succumb  to  the  in- 
evitable. This  was  in  1886. 

My  son,  George  Blake,  lived  in  San  Bernardino,  where 
he  played  in  the  Opera  House  orchestra  and  was  leader 
of  the  Seventh  Regiment  band.  My  son  William,  alarmed 
at  my  condition,  had  written,  unknown  to  me,  to  his 
brother,  saying  that  I  had  worked  long  enough  and  that 
he  should  send  for  me.  I  was  surprised  when  I  received 
the  word,  "Mother,  come,"  not  aware  he  knew  the  con- 
dition. I  had  many  hours  of  thought  before  I  could  decide 
when  my  voice  was  not  even  impaired,  to  give  up  my 
life's  work  and  be  a  drone  in  the  hive.  At  last  I  yielded 

102 


to  the  desire  of  my  sons  to  go  south.  I  promised  on 
condition  that  I  came  unheralded.  I  supposed  I  was  going 
so  far  away  no  one  knew  me.  Alas,  this  world  is  small, 
so  it  behooves  us  all  to  make  our  reputation  without  fault. 
I  sent  in  my  resignation  to  Calvary  and  the  Synagogue 
musical  committees,  and  bade  good-bye,  I  supposed,  to  music 
and  old  associations  forever.  I  would  never  be  able  to 
describe  the  deep  sorrow  that  was  depicted  on  the  counten- 
ance of  pastor  and  people,  rabbi  and  congregation  and  the 
members  of  the  young  peoples'  societies  of  the  church 
with  whom  I  had  labored  for  so  many  years  and  assisted 
in  their  successful  efforts  from  season  to  season.  It  was 
the  heroic  battle  of  my  life  to  voluntarily  cut  loose  from 
all  that  had  been  so  auspicious  during  my  many  years  of 
service.  I  was  held  in  great  affection  by  the  people  of 
San  Francisco,  who  always  gave  me  the  most  cordial 
welcome  whenever  I  appeared  in  the  churches  or  concert 
halls  or  took  part  in  patriotic  exercises. 

I  left  San  Francisco  December  1,  and  had  two  days 
of  travel.  It  seemed  as  though  I  was  in  another  world, 
cut  loose  from  all  I  ever  cherished.  The  world  never 
looked  so  vast  to  me  before  and  it  was  as  an  open  desert 
without  one  friendly  face  in  sight,  alone,  adrift,  knowing 
not  the  ultimate  point  of  my  travels.  I  was  rudely 
awakened  the  morning  of  the  second  day  by  the  whistle 
of  the  engine  and  the  clamor  of  bells  and  bustling  of 
feet.  I  arose  quickly  and  soon  was  received  by  my  son, 
who  was  awaiting  my  coming,  and  I  said,  "Here  I  am,  I 
have  obeyed  your  orders  and  now  I  am  to  do  just  as  I 
please,  and  rest  from  my  labor."  He  replied,  "You  have 
earned  your  rest  after  all  these  years,  mother."  So  we  hap- 
pily proceeded  to  his  cottage,  where  welcome  awaited  us. 
All  seemed  strange  to  me  after  so  many  years  in  San  Fran- 
cisco where  I  was  known  to  all,  yet  I  hoped  to  meet  other 
pleasant  faces  and  cheerfully  accepted  the  situation  with 
my  son  and  daughter  and  their  friends.  During  our 
conversation  my  daughter  informed  me  that  the  ladies  of 
the  Episcopal  Guild  had  voted  unanimously  that  I  had 
been  accepted  as  the  soloist  of  the  choir  of  St.  John's 
Church.  Through  their  efforts  I  was  to  receive  the  salary 
of  $20  a  month.  The  church  was  not  more  than  a 
beginning.  The  congregation  worshipped  in  a  large 
store  on  one  of  the  main  streets  which  had  been  fitted 
into  a  comfortable  chapel.  Mrs.  Foster,  from  San 
Francisco,  one  of  the  many  musical  people  there,  had 
settled  in  that  city  and  was  the  organist  of  that  church, 
unknown  to  me,  as  I  supposed,  but  when  we  met  her 

103 


greeting,  "I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Charity  Pecksniff,"  sur- 
prised me.  Through  her  the  people  soon  found  out 
who  I  was  and  I  not  only  had  the  church  position  secured 
but  also  eight  pupils  ready  to  begin  lessons  in  voice  when 
I  was  ready  to  open  my  studio  to  them.  So  good  or  evil 
report  follows  us  through  our  lives  and  makes  for  us  our 
success  or  failure. 

I  made  my  first  appearance  at  the  Christmas  service, 
which  had  been  prepared  with  care,  and  extra  voices  were 
secured.  My  son  had  added  from  his  orchestra  three 
instruments  in  addition  to  the  organ  for  the  morning  and 
evening  services  of  the  Christmas  festival.  The  chapel 
was  crowded  to  the  doors  and  those  who  were  unable  to 
come  in  remained  on  the  sidewalk  during  the  services. 
The  new  singer  was  to  be  heard  for  the  first  time.  I  had 
chosen  the  beautiful  Cavatina  by  Raff,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  F.  Erbe  on  the  violin,  who  played  the 
obligate  with  exquisite  grace  and  finish.  In  the  evening 
I  sang  Praise  Thou  the  Lord,  O  My  Soul,  by  Holden, 
with  two  violins,  cello  and  organ  accompaniment.  This 
extra  service  was  the  forerunner  of  other  good  services 
for  the  length  of  eight  months,  when  the  ladies'  funds 
were  so  low  they  were  obliged  to  discontinue  my  services, 
with  profound  sorrow,  as  the  chapel  had  been  crowded 
during  all  these  weeks  and  the  place  was  getting  too  small 
for  the  worshippers.  A  church  building  had  been  begun 
and  money  was  needed  there,  so  I  reluctantly  departed 
and  took  up  the  work  in  the  Catholic  church  with  Father 
Stockman,  priest,  at  a  salary  of  $40  a  month,  Miss 
Zabriskie,  organist.  The  choir  was  composed  of  sisters 
from  the  convent,  with  a  tenor  and  bass  by  two  young 
priests  who  sang  well  the  songs  and  chants  of  the  church. 
In  all  these  weeks  I  had  also  begun  my  classes  and 
taught  singing  and  painting.  The  change  had  benefited 
me  and  I  busily  passed  the  days  and  weeks,  adding  all 
the  time  new  voice  and  painting  pupils  until  I  numbered 
fifty-one  pupils  and  classes  twice  a  week  in  Colton  and 
San  Bernardino.  I  was  as  busy  as  ever  I  was  in  San 
Francisco.  But,  alas,  the  hot  climate  (104  degrees  in  the 
morning)  to  which  I  was  a  stranger,  was  more  than  I 
could  stand.  At  noon  no  one  stirred  out  of  the  house  or 
store.  I  stood  the  weather  for  sixteen  months,  then  my 
family  doctor  ordered  me  back  to  San  Francisco  if  I 
wanted  to  live. 

I  left  San  Bernardino  for  San  Francisco,  May  11, 
1889.  Arriving  in  San  Francisco  I  took  a  flat  on  Geary 
street,  near  Steiner.  On  July  6  I  began  my  work  in  the 

104 


Larkin  Presbyterian  Church  and  continued  there  one  year, 
when  no  funds  separated  singer  and  people.  I  gave  the 
small  struggling  congregation  another  month  of  my 
services.  The  congregation  met  in  a  hall  in  the  Western 
Addition.  I  think  a  church  was  built  later,  but  it,  like 
everything  else,  was  destroyed  in  the  earthquake  year.  I 
never  returned,  for  after  a  year  at  the  Geary  street  flat  my 
son  William  and  I  concluded  to  move  to  Oakland.  I  had 
lost  my  position  in  the  churches.  Calvary  Church  offered  me 
my  old  place  but  I  did  not  wish  to  oust  another  who 
was  giving  satisfaction,  and  declined  the  honor.  In 
Oakland  we  rented  one  of  Mr.  Bilger's  cottages  on  Fourth 
avenue.  After  remaining  there  for  two  years  and  a  half 
my  son  William  married  and  returned  to  San  Francisco 
to  live. 

I  stayed  in  Oakland  and  began  my  music  in  the 
Pilgrim  Congregational  Church,  through  the  influence  of 
one  of  my  early  musical  friends,  Mrs.  Nellie  Wetherbee. 
I  went  to  oblige  her,  as  she  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits 
of  the  church.  I  remained  with  this  church  until  Miss 
Mary  Fox  went  East  and  the  leader,  Mr.  Benham,  came 
for  me  to  take  her  place  in  the  choir  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational church,  Rev.  Dr.  McLean,  pastor.  I  occupied 
this  place  for  six  months,  giving  the  greatest  satisfaction. 
Then  I  returned  to  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church  and 
continued  there  three  years.  Miss  Hough  was  organist 
and  Mr.  Redfield,  choirmaster.  I  sang  at  first  with  the 
quartette,  Mrs.  Mollie  Dewing,  Mr.  Redfield  and  Harry  Mel- 
vin,  now  Justice  of  the  California  Supreme  Court.  After- 
ward when  Mrs.  Dewing  left  for  the  First  Methodist 
Church  as  soprano  we  had  Mrs.  Andrew  Fine,  soprano. 
Later  Mr.  Redfield  took  charge  of  St.  Andrew's  choir 
in  West  Oakland,  and  I  was  left  as  soloist  of  the  choir. 
Having  a  number  of  pupils  in  the  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  Society,  I  was  urged  upon  by  the  pastor, 
Rev.  Mr.  McNutt,  to  take  charge  of  the  choir,  which  I  did. 
Miss  Hough  continued  as  organist  until  she  went  abroad  to 
study  in  London.  Miss  Bertha  Hunter,  who  was  an  efficient 
organist,  continued  until  my  directorship  closed  with  the 
advent  of  Rev.  Mr.  Silcox,  who  wished  a  man  director 
in  the  choir  where  he  was  pastor.  I  left  the  choir  after 
I  had  served  almost  continuously  from  1890  to  1895. 
Six  months  of  that  time  I  sang  for  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  in  Oakland.  The  first  time  was  in  1890. 
In  1894  I  substituted  for  two  months  while  the  contralto 
was  ill.  After  leaving  this  church  I  sang  with  the  St. 
Andrew's  choir  from  January,  1893,  until  after  the  Easter 

105 


service,   April  2,   almost   four  months.      On   January   31, 

1896,  I   began   in  the   English   Lutheran   Church,   corner 
Grove  and  Sixteenth  streets.     Mr.  Walling  was  director, 
Miss   Margaret  Oaks  and  Miss  Mabel   Hussey  were  the 
organists   during  the   time.      I    sang   here   until   July    16, 

1897,  as  a  memorial  to  my  mother,  who  was  a  Lutheran 
in  her  faith,  and  the  church  was  new  and  beautiful  to  sing 
in.    I    gave   my    services    for   a    year   and    a   half.      Mr. 
Bushnell,  the  pastor,  was  popular  and  the  church  flourished 
greatly  during  the  time.     In  December,    1897,   I   assisted 
the   choir  of  the   Church  of  the   Advent,   East   Oakland, 
Dr.  V.  Marshall  Law,  rector,  at  their  Christmas  service, 
giving  such  satisfaction  that  I  was  prevailed  upon  to  help 
the      choir.       My     sister,     Mrs.     Harrold,     and     family 
worshipped    there    and    her    two    daughters    were    in    the 
choir.    As  I  had  no  other  church  in  view,  I  consented  and 
continued  for  eight  months.     During  that  time  we  gave 
several    fine    concerts    and    on    one    occasion    gave    The 
Daughter  of  Jairus  with  great  success,  H.  Melvin,  bass; 
Miss  Alberta  Morse,  soprano;  Mr.  Thornton,  tenor;  Mrs. 
M.    B.    Alverson,    contralto.      Several    other    artists    with 
violin  and  cello  assisted  the  regular  choir  of  forty  voices. 
They  were  strangers  to  me  so  I  have  reluctantly  omitted 
their  names.     They  were  excellent  musicians.     During  the 
eight   months'   service   there   occurred   a   number   of   pre- 
tentious musical  undertakings  which  were  meritorious  as 
well  as  financially  successful. 

In  1899  I  was  once  more  called  to  the  English  Lutheran 
Church  to  direct  the  choir,  with  salary.  I  had  twenty 
picked  voices  thoroughly  placed  and  true.  We  occupied 
the  upper  gallery  and  all  was  in  readiness  to  begin  the 
new  undertaking  by  the  first  Sunday  in  March,  1899. 
The  church  was  full  and  also  the  Sabbath  school  rooms 
were  required  to  seat  the  people  who  were  anxious  to 
hear  the  new  choir.  The  rehearsals  had  been  thorough 
and  we  had  no  fear  of  failure,  and  the  people  were  not 
disappointed  at  the  new  order  of  things.  How  well  they 
all  sang — how  beautiful  was  the  service  of  those  young 
voices,  and  what  praises  were  showered  upon  them  for 
their  work  by  the  congregation  for  their  anthems,  chants, 
hymns  and  offertories !  For  three  years  this  order  of 
things  lasted  and  all  the  time  the  voices  were  fully 
developed  and  giving  weekly  more  satisfaction.  The 
Easter  and  Christmas  services  were  efforts  worth  remem- 
bering in  history,  and  I  write  with  great  pride  because 
of  the  good  work  I  was  able  to  produce  with  these  young 
voices  in  the  service  of  song.  On  December  30,  1900,  I  sent 

106 


in  my  resignation,  which  was  very  reluctantly  accepted. 
I  was  now  sixty-five  years  of  age  and  my  many  pupils 
and  two  services  on  the  Sabbath  with  necessary  rehearsals 
became  too  strenuous.  I  had  been  in  the  active  life  of 
song  long  enough  to  lay  down  the  baton. 

On  January  6,  1901,  I  sang  for  the  last  time  in  regular 
active  service.  Later  in  the  year  I  assisted  at  different 
times  the  Fruitvale  Congregational  chapel,  Eighth  Ave- 
nue Methodist  Church,  Brooklyn  Presbyterian  Church, 
churches  in  Alameda  and  other  small  struggling 
churches  when  they  needed  a  helping  hand.  It  was 
my  pleasure  to  do  what  I  could  to  encourage  the 
pastors  and  people  of  these  small  mission  churches  and  in 
other  churches  where  I  had  sung  before  on  extra  occa- 
sions. On  September  1,  1901,  on  returning  from  St.  Paul's 
Church,  after  having  heard  the  monthly  programme  of  song, 
I  met  my  old  Santa  Cruz  friends  of  1864,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Metti  and  with  them  walked  to  their  home. 
After  spending  a  pleasant  hour  |with  them  Mr.  Metti 
escorted  me  to  the  San  Pablo  avenue  cars.  On  alighting 
from  the  car  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Thirteenth 
street  the  motorman  started  up  when  I  was  but  half 
way  down  and  I  was  not  able  to  hold  on  firmly  enough, 
consequently  the  car  shot  out  and  left  me  on  the  street 
with  a  broken  body.  The  accident  closed  forever  my  use- 
fulness as  a  public  singer  and  rang  down  for  me  the 
curtain  upon  any  future  work  of  this  kind,  to  my  great 
sorrow.  Twelve  long  years  I  have  borne  this  unhappy 
condition  of  things,  yet  I  have  not  been  a  drone  in  the 
hive  of  busy  humanity.  I  have  fought  the  battle  and 
won,  and  am  still  able  to  wear  a  smiling  countenance  and 
guide  the  young  people  into  the  pleasant  path  of  song, 
and  my  success  has  been  a  compensation  for  all  the  suf- 
fering which  has  passed.  As  long  as  I  am  a  factor  for 
usefulness  I  will  cheerfully  do  my  duty.  As  long  as  I  am 
able  to  chronicle  the  best  results  as  a  competent  teacher  of 
voice,  which  has  been  my  vocation  for  over  thirty  years,  I 
will  be  content.  I  have  been  rewarded  by  having  given  to 
our  state  many  beautiful  singers  who  remember  with  grati- 
tude their  aged  instructor,  no  matter  where  they  may  reside, 
and  a  number  of  them  are  climbing  and  have  climbed  to 
high  positions  of  prominence  as  singers  of  ability,  and 
with  personal  attractions  which  have  given  them  their 
stepping-stones  to  higher  attainments  in  the  art  of  vocal 
music. 


107 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN 


GOLDEN  JUBILEE  OF  SONG  SERVICE,  JUNE  12,  1896 


HREE  days  before  my  sixtieth  birthday,  which 
occurred  on  June  12,  1896,  I  incidentally  men- 
tioned to  a  friend  that,  on  that  date,  I  would 
also  be  fifty  years  a  singer  before  the  public. 
The  next  morning  a  phone  message  asked  me 
to  come  down  to  the  Call  office  on  some  G.  A.  R.  business, 
as  I  supposed.  This  I  did. 

When  I  entered  the  office  I  was  engaged  in  conver- 
sation for  an  hour  while,  unknown  to  me,  a  shorthand 
reporter  and  an  artist  were  taking  notes.  I  returned  to 
my  studio  unconscious  that  my  words  had  been  recorded 
and  that  my  picture  had  been  sketched  by  the  quick  hand 
of  Richard  Partington.  What  was  my  great  surprise  on 
opening  the  Call  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  to  find 
myself  pictured  on  the  first  page  as  happily  laughing  as 
could  be.  The  headlines  ran  like  this: 

HAS  SUNG  FOR  HALF  A  CENTURY 


MRS.  BLAKE-ALVERSON  LOANED  HER  VOICE 
TO  AID  UNION  SOLDIERS 


HER   JUBILEE   RECEPTION 


MADE  HER  DEBUT  IN  AN   OHIO   CHURCH 
WHEN  A  LITTLE  MAID  OF  TEN 


SINGS  AS  LUSTILY  AS  EVER 


She  Has  Sung  for  Fifty  Years  in  Scores 
of  Churches,  Halls  and  Theatres  from 
Boston  Across  the  Continent  to  California 


My  astonishment  knew  no  bounds,  for  I  always  shrink 
from  publicity  even  though  I  have  become  conspicuous 
during  my  singing  life.  My  nature  is  domestic  and, 
unless  necessary,  I  avoid  the  notoriety  of  the  press. 

108 


UJ 


Directly  I  was  called  to  the  door  and  when  I  opened  it 
who  should  be  there  but  two  men  and  two  ladies  of  Lyon 
Corps  No.  6,  G.  A.  R.,  bringing  me  two  beautiful  oak 
chairs  as  an  offering  from  the  corps  with  congratulations 
upon  my  birthday. 

They  had  gone  but  a  short  time  when  another  dele- 
gation arrived,  this  time  from  Appomattox  Corps,  bring- 
ing me  a  handsome  basket  of  beautiful  carnations  and 
ferns,  decorated  with  white  ribbon  and  lettered  in  gold 
with  the  congratulations  of  the  corps. 

After  this  second  offering  I  thought  it  wise  for  me 
to  do  something  by  way  of  preparation,  so  I  brought 
out  all  of  my  cherished  war  relics,  flags  and  banners, 
medals  and  badges  I  had  received  in  the  years  past.  I 
soon  had  my  rooms  adorned  for  whoever  else  might  come. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  Letters,  telegrams,  messages, 
flowers,  an  immense  cake  decorated  for  the  occasion  with 
all  kinds  of  suitable  emblems  of  music  for  "California's 
Prima  Donna,  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson,"  from  Henry  Feld- 
mann  for  the  German  Society  of  Oakland. 

All  morning  various  offerings  were  sent  in.  Early  in 
the  afternoon  friends  began  to  come  in  by  twos  and 
threes  and  by  evening  180  people  had  called,  people  of  all 
walks  of  life,  some  of  the  members  of  the  Handel  and 
Haydn  Society  came  from  across  the  bay  to  renew  an 
acquaintance  of  many  years.  Walter  and  Mrs.  Marriner- 
Campbell  were  among  the  friends  of  long  ago.  Others 
were  Messrs.  Julius  Oettl,  J.  H.  Stedman,  Fred  Katzen- 
bach,  Harry  Hunt,  Q.  A.  Chase,  William  Bellrose,  Zeno 
Mauvais,  H.  A.  Redfield,  John  W.  Metcalf,  Clark  Wise, 
S.  J.  Bruce  of  Kohler  &  Chase,  who  honored  me  by  their 
presence. 

I  was  so  excited  I  had  not  missed  many  prominent 
pupils;  but  when  evening  came  I  heard  voices  and  foot- 
steps and  going  quietly  to  the  door  I  discovered  some 
three  score  of  my  pupils  and  their  parents  arranging 
their  programme  sotto  voce  in  the  hallway  for  the  final  sur- 
prise of  the  day.  It  was  a  happy  chance  I  was  ready 
for  them.  The  bay  window  of  the  music-room  was  a 
lovely  bower  of  flowers  and  verdure  and  on  a  draped 
table  was  the  huge  cake  with  its  sixty  candles  all  ablaze, 
one  for  each  year.  My  appearance  disturbed  their  prep- 
aration for  a  moment  only,  then  all  was  mirth  and  jollity. 

After  congratulations  a  programme  was  given  followed 
by  a  banquet.  Many  happy  speeches  of  compliment  were 
made  and  I  gave  them  in  return  a  short  sketch  of  my 
musical  life.  At  the  close  of  the  recital  we  reluctantly 

109 


separated  after  greatly  enjoying  the  unusual  opportunity 
of  celebrating  two  golden  jubilees  of  one  life  on  the  same 
day. 

Words  are  inadequate  to  express  my  gratitude  to  all 
who  were  factors  in  making  this  one  of  the  greatest  days 
I  ever  experienced.  It  seemed  that  everybody  was  a 
friend.  The  newspapers  vied  with  each  other  in  their 
write-ups  of  the  occasion.  The  Call,  Tribune,  Chronicle, 
Enquirer,  Saturday  Night,  Berkeley  Gazette,  Santa  Cruz 
Surf,  Examiner,  Benicia  Era,  the  Stockton  and  Sacra- 
mento papers  all  ran  full  articles  and  pictures  in  my 
honor.  At  this  late  day  I  tender  my  sincere  thanks  for 
favors  and  kindly  criticisms,  from  time  immemorial. 


110 


Pen   sketch  of    Mrs.    Blake-Alverson   by    Richard   Partington,    made   on    the 

occasion  of  the  semi-centenary  of  her  career  as  a  public  singer,  June  12,  1896. 

Mrs.  Alverson  at  this  time  was  sixty  years  of  age. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  TWELVE 


CAMILLA    URSO'S    FESTIVAL,    1873.       MADAME    ANNA    BISHOP. 

THE   LORING   CLUB.      ALFRED   WILKIE,   FRANK 

GILDER,  D.   P.   HUGHES. 


NE  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in  writing  my 
memoirs  is  the  choice  of  the  most  important 
happenings  in  a  busy  life.  There  are  so  many 
things  to  speak  of  it  is  hard  to  know  where 
to  begin.  I  cannot  begin  with  a  more  appro- 
priate event  than  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration  which 
took  place  in  1869,  with  William  Seward,  Secretary  of 
State,  in  one  of  the  boxes  of  the  California  theater. 

Alex  Austin,  Esq.,  was  president  of  the  day  and  called 
the  assemblage  to  order. 

The  programme  was  as  follows: 

Prayer  by  Rev.  H.  D.  Lathrop. 

Music  by  the  orchestra. 

Reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  Lawrence 
Barrett,  Esq. 

God  Bless  our  Glorious  Land  (written  for  the  Fourth  of  July, 
1869,  by  our  friend  Sam  Booth).  Full  chorus,  George  T.  Evans, 
leader. 

Poem  by  R.  C.  Hopkins,  Esq.,  read  by  John  McCulloch,  Esq. 

Music,  orchestra. 

Vocal  music,  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  Mozart. 

Oration  by  Henry  E.  Highton,  Esq. 

Song,  Star  Spangled  Banner. 

Full  chorus  from  the  Handel  and  Hayden  Society  and  quartette 
composed  of  Mrs.  S.  D.  Mayer,  soprano;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  con- 
tralto ;  Mr.  S.  D.  Mayer,  tenor ;  Walter  C.  Campbell,  bass. 

Music,  orchestra. 

In  1868  we  were  visited  by  the  Lyster  Opera  company 
from  Australia,  which  gave  a  season  of  ten  operas  at  the 
old  Metropolitan  Theater  on  Montgomery  street.  They 
brought  with  them  a  goodly  company  of  artists. 

Henry  Squires,  tenor  Lucy  Escott,  soprano 

W.  F.  Baker,  tenor  Geraldine  Warden,  mezzo  soprano 

Armes  Beaumont,  tenor  Mrs.  Ada  King,  contralto 

Mr.  Sutcliff,  baritone 

LOCAL   SINGERS 

Sig.  Roncovieri,  tenor  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto 

Mr.  Nathanson,  bass  Mrs.  Cameron,  soprano 

112 


MRS.    MARGARET    BLAKE-ALVERSON 

On    Her    Fiftieth    Anniversary    as    a    Public    Singer,    June     12,     1896 
Sixty  Years  of   Age   and   Still   in   Good  Voice 


They  gave,  December  21  and  22,  Les  Huguenots;  December  23 
and  24,  Bohemian  Girl ;  December  25,  Maritana. 

After  the  close  of  the  season  Mr.  Squires  and  Miss 
Escott  gave  a  farewell  concert  in  Pacific  Hall  in  which  I 
participated  and  sang  with  them  the  celebrated  trio, 
Protect  Us  Through  the  Coming  Night. 

On  May  16,  1870,  the  Handel  and  Hayden  Society  gave 
Rossini's  Stabat  Mater  in  Sacramento,  Prof.  Hugo  Mans- 
feldt,  leader,  assisted  by  the  societies  of  Sacramento.  The 
chorus  was  500  strong,  the  soloists  were  the  best  to  be 
secured,  assisted  by  Henry  Heyman,  violin  soloist. 

Herr  Wenderlich,  bass  Mrs.  J.  M.  Pierce,  soprano 

W.  C.  Campbell,  bass  Mrs.   McNeil    (of   Sacramento) 

Samuel  C.  Mayer,  tenor  soprano 

Matthew  Anderson,  tenor  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto 

Mrs.  Marriner,  soprano  Miss  Hewlett,  contralto 

Mrs.  S.  Little,  soprano  Miss  K.  Stone,  contralto 

Cornet  solo,  Mr.  Dick  Kohler  and  full  orchestra. 
Anvil  chorus,  with  artillery  accompaniment. 

The  undertaking  was  a  financial  as  well  as  a  musical 
success  and  added  one  more  wreath  of  laurels  to  our 
musical  advancement  in  1873. 

Also  in  this  year  the  celebrated  violin  virtuoso,  Camilla 
Urso,  came  to  San  Francisco  on  a  tour.  The  Mechanics 
Pavilion  then  stood  on  the  square  of  Stockton  and  Powell, 
Geary  and  Post  streets,  and  numerous  entertainments  were 
given  there.  The  musical  festival  had  been  successfully 
opened  with  Camilla  Urso  as  soloist,  and  on  the  second 
day  she  tendered  the  society  a  benefit  concert.  The 
programme,  a  noted  one  which  should  be  preserved,  is  as 
follows : 

MUSICAL  FESTIVAL 

TENDERED    BY    CAMILLA    URSO 

in  aid  of  The  Mercantile  Library  of  San  Francisco 

at  the 
MECHANICS  PAVILION 


FIRST  PART 

1.  Overture,  AH  Baba Cherubim 

Grand  orchestra  of  150  men. 

2.  Glory  to  God  on  High  (from  12th  Mass) Mozart 

Oratorio  chorus,  1,200  voices. 

3.  Symphony  in  C  (Andante  and  Allegro) Gade 

Grand  orchestra  of  150  pieces. 

4.  (a)   Sleepers,  Awake,  Choral  from  St.  Paul Mendelssohn 

(b)   Prayer  of  Moses  in  Egypt Rossini 

5.  Grand  Concerto  for  the  Violin  (orchestral  accompaniment)  . . 

Beethoven 

CAMILLA  URSO 

113 


PART  II 

1.  Chorus,  The  Heavens  are  Telling  (from  the  Creation)  .  .Hayden 

Oratorio  chorus  of  1,200  voices 

2.  Overture  of  Freischutz Weber 

Grand  Military  Band,  150  men. 

3.  Hallelujah  Chorus  from  "Messiah" Handel 

Oratorio  chorus  of  1,200  voices. 

4.  Anvil  Chorus,  from  II  Trovatore Verdi 

Full  chorus  of  1,200.    Organ.    Grand  orchestra  of  150.    Full 

military  band,  drum  corps  of  the  city  militia,  50  anvils, 

100  firemen,  city  fire  bells  and  cannon  to  be  fired 

from  the  stand  of  the  leader  by  use  of  electricity. 

General  Conductor,  Mr.  R.  Herold.    Organist,  Gustav  A.  Scott. 

These  concerts  were  among  the  grandest  achievements 
of  our  time.  The  music  of  the  musicians  and  singers  was 
par  excellence  and  should  never  be  forgotten  as  long  as 
history  can  keep  it  alive.  How  vividly  is  the  scene  before 
me — the  magnificent  chorus,  the  pealing  of  the  organ 
tones,  the  excellent  performance  of  the  orchestra  and  the 
beautiful  playing  of  Camilla  Urso  and  the  enwrapt  listeners 
that  crowded  the  old  pavilion  to  overflowing.  Those  were 
days  of  music  for  Californians  who  knew  how  to  make  it 
and  we  should  always  have  the  greatest  pride  in  recounting 
these  magnificent  efforts. 

In  the  year  1874,  when  Madam  Anna  Bishop  was 
making  her  American  tour,  she  included  San  Francisco, 
and  with  her  troupe  came  also  Alfred  Wilkie,  tenor,  and 
Frank  Gilder  of  New  York,  an  organist  and  pianist  of 
high  repute.  He  was  a  genius  in  a  class  of  his  own.  As 
the  Salt  Lake  papers  said  of  him,  "Frank  Gilder,  who 
can  snatch  more  music  out  of  a  piano  than  Beethoven 
could  write  in  a  week,  is  with  the  Lingard  Company  and 
will  play  a  number  of  solos  tonight.  He  is  an  entire 
orchestra,  a  sort  of  a  condensed  brass  band,  and  those 
who  don't  hear  him  will  never  know  what  pianos  were 
invented  for."  This  was  a  unique  "ad.",  but  was  just 
about  right.  I  was  employed  by  him  when  he  inaugurated 
his  popular  twenty-five-cent  concerts.  He  gave  thirty-six 
in  the  course  and  I  sang  twenty-five  times  for  him.  I 
sang  one  evening  at  one  of  Madam  Bishop's  concerts,  and 
after  he  heard  me  sing  Gatty's  Fair  Dove  (my  ghost 
song,  as  he  called  it)  he  planned  out  these  concerts — some- 
thing out  of  the  ordinary.  Each  artist  received  ten  dollars, 
no  matter  how  high  he  stood  in  his  calling,  or  the  prices 
he  received  from  other  managers.  That  was  the  order  of 
things  and  each  one  who  sang  must  take  that  or  not  sing. 

114 


We  began  in  the  hall  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  on  Sutter 
street.  The  following  artists  appeared :  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake, 
contralto;  M.  A.  Anderson,  tenor;  Sig.  C.  Orlandmi, 
baritone;  Frank  Gilder,  pianist. 

The  morning  Chronicle  had  this  to  say  in  regard  to 
the  first  concert: 

"FRANK  GILDER'S  POPULAR  CONCERTS 

"The  first  of  the  series  was  given  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  and  fashionable  audience.  The  music  was  first-class 
in  every  respect  and  nearly  every  piece  was  encored. 


Mme.  Anna  Bishop,  beloved  instructor  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson 
and  with  whom  she  sang  in  many  concerts. 

Gilder's  Galop  de  Concert  and  Orlandini's  Largo  al  Acto- 
tum  most  emphatically  so.  Mrs.  Blake  distinguished  herself 
as  an  accomplished  vocalist  in  Millard's  song,  When  the 
Tide  Comes  In,  and  in  the  favorite  old  Scotch  ballad,  John 
Anderson,  My  Joe.  It  was  supposed  from  the  low  price 
that  these  concerts  would  be  beneath  the  notice  of  the 
high  toned  dilettanti  of  the  city,  but  the  performance 
last  evening  has  completely  disabused  not  only  the  nicely- 
critical,  but  the  public  generally  of  this  idea.  The  series 
is  to  be  continued.  The  second  in  the  course  will  be  given 
on  Tuesday  eve  of  next  week." 

The  second  concert  on  Tuesday  was  given  with  Madam 
Anna  Bishop,  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake;    Cornelius  Makin,  bass; 

115 


Prof,  von  der  Mehden,  baritone;  Frank  Gilder,  solo  cor- 
netist.  With  the  sixth  concert  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hall 
we  found  the  hall  too  small  for  our  audiences,  and  then 
went  to  Platt's  Hall.  Not  two-thirds  of  the  people  could 
get  in.  We  tried  Pacific  Hall,  and  that  did  for  several 
times,  and  then  there  were  enough  people  on  the  outside 
to  fill  an  ordinary  hall.  The  theaters  were  too  expensive, 
so  we  went  on  the  road.  We  gave  two  concerts  in 
Stockton  theater  to  packed  houses;  two  in  Santa  Cruz  in 
the  pavilion,  with  great  success;  two  nights  in  Vallejo, 
when  every  seat  was  taken,  the  gallery  packed  and  faces 
peeping  in  at  the  windows.  A  laughable  act  not  on  the 
programme  occurred  that  evening  which,  I  think,  Walter 
Campbell  and  myself  will  never  forget.  We  had  a  duet 
in  which  we  always  claimed  the  house,  and  this  evening 
when  our  number  came  Mr.  Gilder  began  his  quaint 
Quaker  march  and  Reuben  was  to  come  from  one  side  of 
the  stage  and  Rachel,  on  the  other,  and  meet  in  the  center 
of  the  stage  like  two  prim  Quakers.  I  took  the  steps 
with  Mr.  Gilder's  torn  torn  of  quaint  chords  and  I 
arrived  in  the  front  of  the  stage  and  no  Walter.  I  was 
in  dismay  and  the  people  began  to  laugh,  especially  a 
portly  individual  sitting  directly  in  front  of  the  orchestra. 
He  thought  it  was  all  in  the  bill;  Madam  Bishop,  in  the 
wings,  feared  the  performance  was  ruined.  I  tried  with 
all  my  might  to  keep  from  laughing  at  Mr.  Gilder,  who 
was  keeping  up  the  incessant  march.  At  last  I  turned 
and  saw  Walter  Campbell  standing  beside  me  with  a  face 
like  a  marble  statue,  still  and  pious  as  the  most  devout 
Quaker,  waiting  for  me  to  begin,  rising  and  falling  on 
his  toes.  I  began  my  song,  "Reuben,  I  have  long  been 
thinking,  etc."  and  the  song  went  on,  and  between  each 
stanza  the  applause  was  deafening  and  continued  until  the 
last  too-ral-loo  had  died  away.  We  received  five  recalls. 
The  paper  came  out  with  glowing  accounts  of  the  success 
Walter  and  I  had  won  and  we  were  lionized  the  rest  of 
the  season.  When  we  were  allowed  to  retire,  Walter,  in 
his  quaint  way,  said  to  me,  "Susan  Jane,  you  almost 
made  me  laugh.  I  never  went  through  such  an  ordeal  in 
all  my  singing  days.  It  seemed  I  was  destined  to  stand 
there  forever  before  you  began."  I  think  we  have  laughed 
over  that  concert  time  and  time  again.  It  is  one  of  our 
best  jokes  between  us  when  we  recount  the  enjoyment 
of  our  successful  concerts  given  in  California,  Oregon 
and  British  Columbia. 

After  returning  from  these  smaller  towns  Mr.  Gilder 
resumed    the   popular   concerts    in    Pacific   Hall   until    the 

116 


Hugo  Mansfeldt 
J.  H.  Dohrmann 


Sir  Henry  Heyman 
Alfred  Wilkie 


ASSOCIATED    MUSICIANS,     1860-1913 


close  of  the  thirty-sixth  concert.  It  was  while  we  sang 
in  Pacific  Hall  that  King  Kalakua  was  the  honored  guest. 
Sam  Booth  composed  a  welcome  song  to  His  Majesty 
and  great  was  the  reception  given  him.  These  concerts 
made  quite  a  stir  among  the  older  musicians,  who  thought 
it  strange  that  a  twenty-five-cent  entertainment  should  re- 
ceive such  acknowledgment.  The  halls  of  the  dollar  con- 
certs were  deserted  and  the  twenty-five-cent  concert  hall 
was  overflowing  with  music  lovers.  The  older  musicians 
challenged  Gilder  to  play  the  music  of  the  old  masters. 
He  consented,  but  the  trial  never  came  to  anything  but 
words.  After  he  had  gone  back  to  New  York  these  dis- 
gruntled musicians  tried  to  do  the  same  as  Mr.  Gilder  had 
done,  but  it  was  a  complete  failure.  One  of  the  thirty- 
six  concerts  was  given  in  the  Tent  Amphitheater  back  of 
the  Palace  Hotel,  July  4,  1874.  The  artists  were  Mme. 
Anna  Bishop,  soprano ;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto ;  Alfred 
Wilkie,  tenor;  Cornelius  Makin,  bass.  The  Silver  Cornet 
band  was  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Henry  von  der 
Mehden  and  Frank  Gilder,  pianist.  There  was  an  audience 
of  12,000  people  and  the  programme  was  one  to  be  re- 
membered for  its  musical  value  and  splendid  singers  who 
received  the  plaudits  of  the  people  in  their  great  en- 
thusiasm at  the  successful  and  artistic  performance  of  each 
number. 

PROGEAMME   FOR   JULY   4TH,    1874 

1.  Overture — Poet  and  Peasant Suppe 

2.  Song.    The  Sword  of  Bunker  Hill Covert 

Mr.  C.  Makin 

3.  Scotch  Ballad.    Within  a  Mile  of  Edinborough  Town, 
(encore)  Annie  Laurie. 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake 

4.  Piano  solo.    America,  with  variations Gilder 

Frank  Gilder 

5.  Grand  Aria.    Let  the  Bright  Seraphim Handel 

Mme.  Anna  Bishop ;  Prof.  Mehden,  cornet  obligate 

6.  Song.    The  Anchor's  Weighed Braham 

Mr.  Alfred  Wilkie 

7.  Grand  operatic  pot-pourri Von  der  Mehden 


SECOND  PART 

1.  Duet.    The  Moon  Has  Raised  Her  Lamp  Above 

Messrs.  Alfred  Wilkie  and  C.  Makin 

2.  Ballad.     Old  Folks  at  Home  (by  request) Foster 

Mme.  Anna  Bishop 

3.  Quartette  for  horns.    Call  Me  Thine  Own Halevy 

Band 

4.  Song.     Vive  1'America   Millard 

(Encore)    Uncle  Sam's  Farm 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake 

117 


5.  Ballad.    Will  o'  the  Wisp 

Mr.  C.  Makin 

6.  Song.    The  Star  Spangled  Banner 

Madam  Anna  Bishop  and  the  other  artists 

7.  Grand  finale,  National  Melodies  of  different  nations 

Von  der  Mehden 

Silver  Cornet  Band 

In  speaking  of  these  concerts  it  is  interesting  to  note 
the  number  of  fine  singers  that  we  had  in  California  in 
1874  and  how  easy  it  was  for  a  manager  to  select  the  best 
out  of  these  for  any  occasion. 

Women's  Voices:  Madam  Bishop,  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  Mrs.  A. 
Thiesen,  Miss  Marian  Singer,  Mile.  Franzini,  Mile.  Anna  Elzer, 
Miss  Susan  Galton,  Madam  Babcock,  Signora  Bianchi,  Mrs.  Eliza 
Boston,  Miss  Rowley. 

Men's  Voices :  Signor  C.  Orlandini,  Charles  Metti,  M.  A.  Ander- 
son, C.  Makin,  Henry  Baker  (tenor  of  the  opera  troupe),  Sig.  Luigo 
Cpntini,  Ben.  Clark,  W.  Finkeldey,  Carmini  Morley,  Alfred  Kelleher, 
Sig.  Fulvio  Rigo,  Sig.  E.  Bianchi,  Alfred  Wilkie,  Sig.  G.  Marra, 
W.  C.  Campbell,  Mons.  Davidowitz  (Russian  opera  tenor),  Geo. 
Carltos,  Sam  Booth,  Amos  Durant,  F.  L.  Phelps. 

Musicians :  F.  Gilder,  Prof.  Hartman,  Prof.  H.  von  der  Mehden, 
Ernest  Schlott,  Mulder  Fabbri,  Prof.  M.  Schultz,  C.  J.  J.  Smith 
(flutist),  Louis  Boedecker  (pianist),  Stephen  Marsh  (harpist), 
George  L.  Blake  (cornetist),  Bender,  Shepherd,  Emerson,  Wilson 
(horn  quartet),  Miss  Rotier  (pianist),  Prof.  G.  Cellarius  (violinist), 
A.  Kessels  (pianist),  Miss  E.  M.  Burkhardt  (Chicago  pianist), 
H.  F.  Todd  (cornet). 

These  men  and  women  singers  and  musicians  took  part 
in  these  series  of  concerts  given  by  Frank  Gilder  in  1874 
and  were  available  at  any  time  when  needed.  They  were 
only  a  number  of  the  many  fine  singers  then  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. I  doubt  if  you  could  be  so  successful  today,  for 
these  were  genuine  tried  singers,  ready  to  go  at  any  time 
and  fill  the  place,  either  with  sacred,  secular  or  oper- 
atic music.  There  were  also  the  members  of  the  Lor- 
ing  Club,  all  good  singers,  picked  and  tried,  who  sang 
in  choirs,  concerts  and  also  in  prominent  musical  under- 
takings of  the  period.  I  have  tried  to  leave  no  name  out 
of  the  list  of  singers.  Professional  jealousy  does  not  exist 
in  any  of  my  musical  life.  It  never  did,  and  if  people  will 
use  their  good,  common  sense  and  judgment  and  see  a  singer 
in  her  true  light  they  will  find  out  very  quickly  that  there 
exists  no  grounds  for  such  a  feeling  with  true  artists.  In  the 
first  place  no  two  people  look  alike,  neither  are  they  made 
alike.  I  have  had  the  strange  experience  of  teaching  five 
pairs  of  twins.  They  were  so  much  alike  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  we  could  distinguish  them  apart.  Especially  the 
Faull  twins,  who  were  obliged  to  wear  a  gold  bar  pin 
with  "Rose"  and  "Sophia"  engraved  upon  them  to  dis- 

118 


ORIGINAL    MEMBERS    OF    THE    LORING    CLUB 
SAN   FRANCISCO,    1873 

Geo.  Fletcher     Wm.  E.  Blake     Nathaniel  Page     Geo.  Story 

FRENCH    HORN    QUARTETTE    OF    THE    SAN    FRANCISCO 

PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY 

Season  of  1895 


tinguish  them,  and  yet  they  were  unlike  in  every  respect. 
The  figures  were  different;  their  voices,  one  a  contralto, 
the  other  soprano;  one  delicate,  the  other  robust.  Rose 
is  living  and  the  other  passed  out  of  life.  It  is  so  in 
everything  in  life.  The  petty  jealousy  of  singers  and 
players  is  a  laughable  farce.  Even  our  grandest  singers 
have  shown  this  weakness  because  a  rival  was  billed  with 
lettering  a  quarter  of  an  inch  larger.  This  lowers  the 
singer  in  the  eyes  of  the  public.  No  two  singers  can  sing 
alike,  even  if  they  sing  the  same  song.  The  interpretation 
belongs  to  the  individual  singer.  It  will  remain  hers  for- 
ever in  the  remembrance  of  the  listeners  and  no  amount 
of  jealousy  will  remove  the  fact.  When  once  a  singer 
has  climbed  to  a  place  of  recognition  and  can  be  classed 
as  a  true  artist  and  acknowledged  by  the  public  as  such, 
she  is  entitled  to  recognition.  "Give  honor  to  those  to 
whom  honor  is  due,"  is  the  safest  way. 

I  will  continue  my  narrative  of  special  engagements. 
I  had  eighteen  years'  experience  in  singing  for  the  Welsh 
colony  of  men  and  women  who  formed  a  society  known 
as  the  Cambrian  Mutual  Aid  Society.  It  had  been  in 
existence  four  years  before  I  was  engaged  as  vocalist. 
The  society  was  prosperous  and  about  300  strong  at  that 
time.  Professor  Price,  Mr.  Jehu,  Samuel  Williams,  Gomer 
Evans,  H.  J.  Owens  (Obedog),  E.  Meredith  (tenor)  and 
J.  R.  Jones  (bass)  were  the  prominent  persons  connected 
with  the  society.  March  1st  was  the  day  for  celebrating 
the  yearly  singing  tryout.  The  Welsh  miners  and  their 
families  came  yearly  from  Mt.  Diablo  mines  for  a  holiday 
of  sociability  and  song.  The  day  was  called  St.  David's 
Day.  My  first  engagement  with  this  society  occurred 
on  the  2d  day  of  March,  1874,  the  first  having  come  on 
Sunday.  We  were  obliged  to  sing  the  Welsh  airs.  This 
was  a  new  departure  for  me,  but,  nothing  daunted,  I 
began  the  study  of  the  Welsh  music,  and  when  the  night 
came  for  the  yearly  banquet  and  evening  of  song  I  was 
well  prepared  to  give  them  their  desire.  I  had  as  other 
artists,  on  this  evening  programme,  Mrs.  Howels,  a  Welsh 
soprano  who  sang  like  a  bird,  so  beautifully;  Mrs.  Von 
der  Mehden,  soprano;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto;  C. 
Makin,  bass ;  John  Hughes,  bass ;  Joseph  Maguire,  tenor ; 
Vernon  Lincoln,  tenor,  and  the  Mt.  Diablo  singers,  about 
fifty  fine  voices.  The  initial  concert  was  a  pronounced 
success,  about  600  being  present.  In  1878,  at  the  annual 
concert,  I  met  for  the  first  time  Mr.  D.  P.  Hughes,  tenor, 
who  sang  a  Welsh  song,  Cwymp  Lewelyn,  also  in  a 
male  quartette,  (oh,  what  full  delight),  Hughes,  Roberts, 

119 


Jones  and  Hannis.  This  was  Mr.  Hughes'  first  bow  to 
the  society  of  singers  in  San  Francisco.  I  was  the  first 
American  singer  he  had  met  in  San  Francisco  thirty-four 
years  ago.  Later  he  became  director  of  the  Orpheus 
Society,  leader  of  church  choirs,  teacher  of  voice,  and  still 
teaches  and  directs  a  women's  singing  club  in  Oak- 
land, Cal. 

In  September,  1877,  the  town  of  San  Rafael  was  in 
need  of  a  fire  engine,  and  to  begin  the  collection  for  the 
fund  a  series  of  concerts  was  inaugurated.  The  first  was 
held  in  the  district  courtroom,  September  8th.  The  fol- 
lowing well-known  artists  took  part:  Theodore  Herzog, 
violinist;  J.  Lewis,  bass;  Mrs.  H.  M.  Bosworth,  soprano; 
Ben  Clark,  tenor;  Walter  C.  Campbell,  bass,  and  Mrs. 
M.  R.  Blake,  contralto.  The  room  was  full  to  overflow- 
ing and  the  singers  were  given  a  splendid  welcome.  The 
women  of  the  city  decorated  the  hall  most  lavishly  and 
our  reception  was  notable.  The  treasury  received  a  splen- 
did amount  of  funds  to  carry  on  the  good  work  so  auspi- 
ciously begun.  This  was  the  second  city  wherein  I 
assisted  in  the  beginning  of  a  fund  for  a  fire  engine.  The 
other  was  Santa  Cruz. 

In  1877,  old  folks'  concerts  were  often  given  with 
great  success.  The  quaint  hymns  of  Father  Kemp's  col- 
lection seemed  to  be  an  attraction  to  the  people,  and 
seldom  a  month  passed  without  concerts  of  this  kind. 
The  societies  and  churches  reaped  a  goodly  sum  from 
them.  The  different  singing  clubs  concluded  to  give  two 
concerts  for  the  old  folks.  They  were  to  be  on  a  grand 
scale,  and  the  Grand  Opera  House  was  secured.  My  pro- 
gramme does  not  give  the  promoters'  names  or  the  object 
of  this  great  gathering  of  singers.  I  remember  only  that 
I  was  engaged  for  the  two  nights  with  Walter  Campbell 
to  sing  those  songs  we  were  accustomed  to  sing  together 
on  such  occasions.  The  concerts- were  held  June  28  and 
29,  1877.  These  were  memorable  evenings  for  us  and  we 
did  our  best  with  Reuben  and  Rachel,  Ten  O'Clock  and 
the  Old  Saxon,  etc.,  which  we  were  obliged  to  repeat 
to  satisfy  the  great  audiences  which  greeted  us.  The 
chorus  of  500,  composed  of  singers  in  all  walks  of  life, 
people  of  leisure  who  had  good  voices  which  they  had 
been  taught  how  to  use,  often  take  pleasure  in  giving  the 
public  a  treat  if  a  pretext  can  be  found  for  doing  so.  In 
this  case  it  was  thought  that  an  imitation  of  the  manners, 
dress  and  costume  of  a  past  age  would  attract  an  audience 
when  a  simple  concert  might  not.  This  proved  to  be  true, 
especially  of  the  Easter  Anthem,  which  was  magnfficently 

120 


sung,  and  an  encore  was  demanded  by  the  delighted 
listeners.  Each  night  the  stage  was  completely  filled  with 
this  splendid  chorus,  and  the  effect  was  tremendous  when 
the  voices  rose  with  such  magnificent  volume,  unaccom- 
panied. The  leader  gave  the  pitch  from  an  old-fashioned 
tuning  fork,  which  was  the  only  thing  that  was  used  at 
that  time,  to  start  the  music.  The  leader  would  cry  out 
in  a  nasal  tone,  "All  please  sound,"  when  the  pitch  would 
be  taken  by  the  four  parts  led  by  the  timist  to  the  success- 
ful finish. 

Other  entertainments  of  this  nature  were  given.  H.  M. 
Bosworth's  operetta,  "Mother  Goose  Reception,"  had  a 
tremendous  run.  It  became  so  popular  that  it  was  played 
in  every  city  and  town  of  any  size  from  San  Bernardino 
to  Sacramento  and  Stockton  and  as  far  north  as  Oregon. 
There  was  a  rivalry  between  it  and  the  Milkmaid's  Con- 
vention which  received  its  full  merit  throughout  the 
state.  Mrs.  Hodgkins  and  Miss  Lucy  Grove  were  the 
bright  originators  of  this  cantata,  which  proved  one  of 
the  most  interesting  debates  upon  the  milk  question  and 
microbes  ever  propounded  in  any  community  with  musical 
setting  and  was  a  genuine  side-splitting  entertainment. 

One  of  the  special  engagements  that  occurred  yearly 
were  the  commencement  exercises  of  the  Benicia  Female 
seminary,  a  meeting  of  alumnae  and  pupils.  From  1862, 
on  my  return  to  California  from  Boston,  until  the  death 
of  our  instructor,  Mary  Atkins-Lynch,  I  was  the  honored 
guest  as  vocalist  at  these  gatherings,  and  I  count  these 
epochs  in  my  career  some  of  the  special  occurrences.  I 
was  among  the  first  pupils  of  the  school  and  added  my 
talent  on  all  occasions  of  note  during  the  continuance  of 
the  seminary.  It  was  in  Benicia  where  Mrs.  Lynch 
first  began  her  work  as  principal  of  the  seminary.  Her 
pupils  are  now  scattered  over  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
A  thousand  invitations  were  sent  out  and  250  accepted  and 
others  sent  their  regrets  from  the  different  cities  in  which 
they  resided.  These  were  put  in  a  list  and  read  with  inter- 
est by  those  who  gathered  in  1878 — the  last  and  most  nota- 
ble reunion  of  the  school.  There  were  at  this  time  Messrs. 
Gray,  Jones,  Woodbridge  and  Hastings,  trustees  of  the  semi- 
nary when  it  was  founded.  They  had  not  met  for  years, 
and  the  pleasure  they  felt  at  this  accidental  meeting  can 
be  imagined.  It  was  like  one  large  family  reunion,  for 
these  men  were  our  friends  as  well,  and  through  their 
efforts  the  seminary  was  placed  upon  a  high  standard. 
We  were  visited  yearly  by  the  notable  men  of  the  state 
legislature,  army  and  navy,  professional  men  and  women 

121 


of  culture  and  talent.  It  would  not  be  amiss  to  let  the 
younger  generation  be  familiar  with  the  names  of  early 
Californians  who  stood  high  in  the  nation  and  honored 
men  of  the  state:  Capt.  and  Mrs.  Matthew  Turner;  Dr. 
Cole  and  wife  of  San  Francisco;  Professor  Trenkle, 
pianist,  San  Francisco;  Dr.  S.  Woodbridge;  Judge  D.  N. 
Hastings  and  wife ;  Hon.  L.  B.  Mizner  and  wife ;  Bishop 
Wingfield ;  Major  Hackert ;  Professor  Roger  of  St.  Augus- 
tine College;  Capt.  E.  H.  von  Pfister;  General  Kautz; 
Major  Wells;  Major  Wilhelm;  Captain  Rixford;  Lieuten- 
ant Scriven,  U.  S.  A ;  Lieutenant  Weresch,  U.  S.  N. ; 
C.  B.  Houghton;  Rev.  Mr.  Easton;  Professor  Corbaz; 
Mrs.  Brackett,  class  '59;  Harriett  Riddell,  Class  72; 
Major  Townsend;  Dr.  Peabody;  Samuel  D.  Gray  and 
wife;  John  Denning;  Judge  Lynch;  Professor  Trenkle, 
one  of  the  pioneer  musicians  of  the  state  and  seminary; 
Mrs.  Mary  Loughlin  Kincaid,  of  San  Francisco  high 
school  fame,  president  of  the  alumnae;  Mrs.  Mary  Hook- 
Hatch,  vice  president;  Mrs.  Agnes  Bell  Hill,  treasurer; 
Miss  Kittie  Stone,  secretary;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  the  first 
vocalist  of  the  seminary  to  distinguish  herself  in  the  world 
of  music  and  song. 

Dr.  Woodbridge  in  his  address  alluded  to  old  memories 
connected  with  this  young  ladies'  seminary,  the  trials  and 
vicissitudes  of  one  of  its  first  principals ;  how  she  had 
taken  the  school  in  early  days  with  six  or  eight  pupils  and 
in  a  few  short  months  had  140  scholars  beneath  the  roof. 
The  doctor  paid  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  ability  and 
worth  of  Mrs.  Lynch  and  the  grandeur  of  her  position  in 
the  cause  of  education.  Her  life  was  a  glorious  victory 
and  one  that  should  be  handed  down  to  posterity. 


122 


CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 


ROMAN    CATHOLIC,    EPISCOPAL,    AND    JEWISH     MUSIC.       J.    H. 
DOHRMANN.       THE    BIANCHl's 

URING  my  ten  years'  engagement  at  St.  Pat- 
rick's Church,  on  Mission  street,  San  Francisco, 
we  gave  many  masses  and  also  arranged  con- 
certs which  would  prove  of  great  value  to  the 
singers  of  today  who  have  aspirations  for  better 
music  than  the  frivolous  songs  and  bad  style  of  singing 
which  is  in  vogue.  The  masses  that  we  sang  were  writ- 
ten by  the  best  masters.  Our  organist  and  director  was 
educated  in  Europe  and  received  the  best  musical  educa- 
tion and  understood  the  standard  which  should  be  upheld. 
We  were  familiar  with  all  of  Mozart's  masses,  requiems 
and  vespers.  The  Twelfth  was  the  most  frequently  sung 
if  grand,  joyful  music  was  required.  The  Requiem 
Bravis,  a  gem  of  church  music,  was  given  on  the  most 
solemn  service.  All  Saints'  Day  generally  claimed  that 
number.  The  Fifth  Mass  was  the  one  chosen  when 
we  dedicated  the  magnificent  $10,000  organ,  June  20,  1869, 
which  was  bought  with  the  money  received  from  the 
grand  concerts  which  were  given  from  time  to  time  by 
the  regular  choir  and  chorus  of  thirty  voices  with  orches- 
tra and  visiting  soloists  of  high  repute,  if  they  happened 
to  be  in  the  city  at  the  time  of  giving. 

I  am  more  than  grateful  that  I  can  place  within  these 
pages  a  fine  photograph  of  this  magnificent  organ,  a 
reminder  of  the  once  beautiful  and  grand  instrument 
which  was  destroyed  and  burned  until  there  was  not  a 
souvenir  left  to  tell  the  story  of  the  great  and  grand 
music  that  it  pealed  forth  so  many  years,  and  of  the  work 
of  the  beautiful  voices  that  once  sang  the  praises  and  the 
power  of  the  grandest  music  ever  written  by  a  galaxy 
of  writers  who  are  no  longer  with  us.  Of  Hayden's  six- 
teen masses  we  usually  sang  from  one  to  eight,  these 
being  the  most  used,  and  No.  16  B  Flat  mass  was  often 
chosen.  His  Vespers  No.  1  was  sung  many  times.  We 
generally  used  Weber's  masses — one  written  in  E  flat  and 
one  in  the  key  of  G.  They  were  the  most  familiar  of  his 
masses.  One  of  the  most  difficult  masses  we  sang  was 
written  by  I.  J.  Paine  of  Boston.  It  was  the  first  mass 

123 


and  required  artists  to  give  the  proper  importance  to  this 
magnificent  mass.  Rossini's  Sollenell  was  given  on  the 
solemn  occasion  of  the  death  of  Pius  IX.  It  was  ren- 
dered for  the  first  time  in  California  October  31st,  by 
sixteen  solo  voices,  thirty-five  in  the  chorus  and  the  regular 
choir,  full  orchestra  and  organ.  The  following  was  the 
programme  for  the  requiem  mass  Sollenell  sung  by  the 
soloists  and  assisted  by  the  chorus  and  orchestra  and 
organ;  Introit,  Dies  Irae,  Lacramosa,  Benedictus,  Agnus 
Dei,  Lux  Aeterna  were  all  from  Cherubini's  compositions; 
offertory,  Dominus  from  Verdi,  Libera  from  Palestrini: 

Mrs.  Brandel,  soprano  Signer  Meize,  tenor 

Signora  Bianchi,  mezzo-soprano  Mr.  Stockmyer,  bass 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  mezzo-contralto  Mr.  Yarndley,  bass 

Signer  Bianchi,  tenor  J.  H.  Dohrmann,  organist 

Orchestra  30  pieces. 

With  a  crowded  church  and  the  altars  draped  in  black, 
with  the  rest  of  the  gifted  singers  on  that  occasion,  will 
candelabras  that  were  all  burning,  with  many  priests  upon 
the  altar,  and  the  other  accessories,  the  scene  was  notable. 
Time  never  can  erase  the  picture  as  it  comes  back  in 
memory.  The  wonderful  music,  in  which  I  took  part, 
with  the  rest  of  the  gifted  singers  on  that  occasion,  will 
never  be  forgotten. 

Later,  as  years  rolled  on  and  the  old  singers  retired, 
we  had  other  artists  who  were  the  singers  in  this  choir: 

Mrs.  Urig,  soprano  Mrs.  Herman,  mezzo-soprano 

Mrs.  Young,  soprano  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto 

Mrs.  Taylor,  soprano  Miss  Ella  Steele,  contralto 

Signora  Bianchi,  mezzo-soprano      Mr.  Buch,  bass 
Mr.  Schnable,  bass 

We  had  also  the  masses  of  Lambalotti,  the  one  in  D 
being  the  most  familiar.  There  was  Peter's  Mass  in  E 
flat.  His  smaller  masses  were  complete.  Mercadanti, 
four-voice  mass,  also  one  for  three  voices ;  W.  A.  Leon- 
ard's mass  in  B  flat,  four  voices;  Millard's  masses  com- 
plete; Farmer's  masses,  one  in  G,  one  in  B  flat;  Schu- 
bert's five  masses  and  vespers,  2d,  3d  and  4th ;  Beetho- 
ven's two  masses,  the  one  in  C  being  the  most  difficult. 
There  was  another  written  in  D.  Schubert's  2d,  3d  and 
4th  masses  were  sung  frequently.  The  grand  mass  of 
John  Sebastine  Bach,  written  in  B  minor,  was  sung  by 
our  choir  for  the  first  time  in  San  Francisco,  April  17, 

124 


J.  H.  DOHRMANN,  ORGANIST  AND  DIRECTOR 

ORGAN   OF  ST.   PATRICK'S  CHURCH,   SAN   FRANCISCO 
Made  in  Germany  in  1874 


1869.     No  one  who  is  a  singer  can  be  blamed  for  being 
justly  proud   in   rendering  this  music   with  the   following 

artists : 

Miss  Brandel,  soprano  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto 

Signora  Bianchi,  mezzo-soprano       Signer  Bianchi,  tenor 
F.  Shoenstein,  bass 

Only  the  solemnity  of  the  sanctuary  refrained  the 
people  from  giving  the  proper  appreciation  in  applause 
when  we  sang  this  grand  mass  which  was  rendered  by 
this  splendid  choir  and  directed  by  our  beloved  organist, 
the  dean  of  that  magnificent  instrument  (of  which  we 
were  so  proud)  for  we  were  the  principal  workers  in  the 
cause  for  obtaining  the  money  for  it.  We  then  had  the 
happiness  to  sing  each  week  and  listen  to  its  beautiful 
notes.  Our  happiness  was  complete. 

In  1874,  July  5th,  we  sang  for  the  first  time  Roeder's 
heavy  mass.  We  often  sang  Concone's  three-voice  mass, 
Verdi's  mass  and  Dominus,  Palestrini's  Libera,  Paola 
Geiorza,  and  Reginia  Coeli.  The  choir  library  was  com- 
plete with  all  kinds  of  masses,  small  and  large.  Many  of 
them  we  sang.  Some  of  them  were  very  old  and  written 
in  manuscript.  I  remember  the  professor  gave  me  at 
rehearsal  a  celebrated  old  heavy  German  mass  (No.  H 
Masse  von  Rader)  in  manuscript  and  my  part  was  the 
counter-tenor.  Imagine  my  consternation  when  he  placed 
it  in  my  hand.  I  could  always  make  an  alto  to  any  tune, 
so  I  just  looked  at  it  blindly  and  made  my  harmony  as  it 
fitted  and  did  not  disturb  the  harmony  of  the  music. 
After  rehearsal  he  came  to  me  and  said,  "You  did  very 
well  at  faking,  but  if  you  will  go  up  two  notes  and  fall 
an  octave  you  will  get  your  part."  That  was  enough  for 
me.  On  my  way  home  I  bought  some  music  paper  and 
immediately  set  to  work  to  get  the  mass  ready  for  Sun- 
day. This  was  Tuesday.  By  Friday  the  task  was  com- 
plete and  I  gave  my  work  to  my  son  George  and  asked 
him  to  look  it  over  and  see  if  I  was  all  right.  There  was 
not  a  correction  to  be  made,  and  I  went  to  mass  as  proud 
as  could  be  and  sang  the  service  through.  After  the 
service  the  professor  came  to  my  music  stand  and  quietly 
took  my  fine  copy  and  put  in  into  the  bookcase  and  that 
was  the  last  I  ever  saw  of  my  week's  work.  He  said  it 
was  very  nice  of  me  to  make  such  a  good  copy;  it  would 
be  ready  for  the  next  singer  who  could  not  sing  the 
manuscript.  While  I  was  disappointed,  he  was  pleased 
that  I  had  been  clever  enough  to  get  out  of  the  trap  he 

125 


had  set  for  me,  for  he  well  knew  I  had  never  seen  that 
music  before. 

Besides  a  splendid  supply  of  masses,  there  were 
vesper  services,  Gregorian  chants,  Ave  Maries,  Veni 
Creator,  solos,  Mozart's  Ave  Vernum,  requiems  from 
various  writers,  Stabat  Mater  by  Rossini;  Franz  Liszt's 

0  Salutaris;     Bach's    Tantum    Ergo;     Salutaris,    Carlo 
Bassini;  contralto  solos  from  Rossini's  Solenelle;  O  Salu- 
taria,  Agnus  Dei,   Quae  Te  Christ!  by  Millett;  duet  so- 
prano and  mezzo,  Agnus  Dei,  Geo.  Bizet;  Laschia  ch   10 
pianga,   Handel;  Raff's   Cavatina  for  contralto;   Millard's 
Ave  Maries  numbering  7  and  No.  1,  Salutaris;    Mozart's 
16th  mass. 

All  these  beautiful  masses  and  songs,  duets  and  solos 
were  familiar  to  me,  and  I  had  opportunity  to  sing  them 
with  the  grandest  singers  of  the  day.  I  also  sang  many 
times  at  St.  Mary's  Cathedral,  California  and  Dupont 
streets,  (Bishop  Alemany)  ;  St.  Ignatius,  when  the  college 
and  church  was  on  Market  street,  where  the  Emporium 
now  stands;  Vallejo  Street  Catholic  Church,  Mission  Do- 
lores, Notre  Dame  French  Church,  Alois  Lejeal,  organist, 
Bush  street.  One  special  Candelmas  Day  the  St.  Ignatius 
Church  was  so  crowded  I  had  to  be  carried  by  two  strong 
men  who  pushed  their  way  through  the  jam  of  worship- 
ers. We  sang  Mozart's  Twelfth  Mass  that  day.  The 
organist  was  one  of  the  brothers  of  the  college.  I  think 

1  sang  requiems  in  every  Catholic  church  in   San   Fran- 
cisco at  that  time.     It  seemed  to  be  my  share  in  life  to 
sing  for  the  dead  of  all  creeds  and  kinds.     If  I  attempted 
to  give  an  account  of  requiems  alone  I  could  publish  a 
book  of  good  size.     I  have  also  taken  part  in  the  musical 
service  at  the  funerals  of  the  great  men  of  California,  like 
Ralston,   Hopkins,   Captain   Metzger,  Thos.   Breeze,  J.   B. 
Painter,  Colonel  Larkin. 

In  1874  I  lived  on  Post  and  Powell  streets.  Trinity 
Church  was  at  that  corner  and  many  people  who  were 
strangers  were  taken  to  the  mortuary  chapel.  One  sad 
funeral  occurred  there  on  June  18,  1887,  of  Abner  Lincoln 
Blake,  a  grandson  of  Major-General  Lincoln  of  revolu- 
tionary fame.  He  was  ex-deputy  of  the  custom  house  in 
Port  Townsend  and  was  on  his  way  to  Washington,  with 
papers  of  importance,  to  give  evidence  against  certain  men 
who  were  in  government  service.  He  was  followed  by 
some  of  their  hirelings  all  the  way  on  his  journey  and, 
arriving  at  Chicago,  he  was  sand-bagged,  but  the  villains 
were  not  quick  enough  to  get  his  valise.  They  were 
frightened  by  the  appearance  of  some  one  coming,  and  the 

126 


victim  was  taken  to  the  hospital.  When  the  chief  of  police 
discovered  who  he  was  he  did  all  he  could  to  save  the 
valuable  evidence  and  notified  the  authorities  at  Washing- 
ton. Everything  was  done  to  save  his  life,  but  he  lapsed 
into  unconsciousness  for  a  week  and  died.  He  was 
brought  to  San  Francisco,  where  a  large  family  awaited 
his  coming.  It  was  one  of  the  saddest  funerals  I  ever 
witnessed  or  attempted  to  sing  for.  He  had  been  cut 
down  in  the  prime  of  life  doing  his  duty  for  his  country. 

After  leaving  San  Francisco  in  1886  I  sang  in  the 
Episcopal  church  in  San  Bernardino,  and  after  eight 
months  of  service  was  engaged  the  remainder  of  the  time 
in  the  Catholic  church,  Father  Stockman.  While  there, 
I  had  a  full  repertoire  of  masses,  old  and  some  new  to 
me.  No  matter  where  one  goes,  the  church  must  have 
the  best  singing,  and  to  my  surprise  I  found  the  musical 
library  was  filled  with  masses,  many  of  which  we  had  in 
St.  Patrick's: 

Mozart's  12th,  Hayden's  6th  in  B  flat,  Mercedanti's 
three-voice  mass,  Hayden's  3d  in  D,  Hayden's  8th  mass, 
Hayden's  16th  in  B  flat,  Mozart's  mass  in  C  No.  1, 
Hayden's  in  C  No  2,  Farmer's  Mass  in  G,  Mozart's  No.  7, 
Peter's  Mass  in  E  flat,  Mozart's  Vespers  in  C  Dur. 

The  requiem  for  Good  Friday,  April  25th,  was  sung 
from  the  quartette  books  used  in  the  choir.  We  sang 
Buchler's  vespers  (the  Memoria)  and  masses,  Borduse 
mass,  Werner's  mass,  Concone's  mass  and  Gregorian 
chants.  Before  leaving  San  Bernardino  choir  for  the 
closing  masses,  November  20th,  requiem  was  sung,  Father 
Koenig  and  Father  Stockman  officiating.  On  December 
8th  the  Second  requiem  was  sung  from  the  quartette  books. 
On  December  22,  1888,  we  sang  Borduse  mass  for  the  last 
time  before  returning  to  San  Francisco. 

I  cannot  give  any  information  upon  the  music  of  the 
synagogue,  although  I  sang  six  years  there.  The  music 
is  all  manuscript  and  the  cantors  of  the  different  schules 
all  have  their  own  services  and  nothing  else  is  used,  but 
they  are  very  chary  of  their  services,  as  they  call  them. 
I  believe  during  my  time  we  had  six  different  ones,  with 
their  accompanying  hymns,  responses  and  chants,  all  in 
the  Hebrew  language.  We  had  high  days  and  holidays, 
which  were  very  impressive  and  solemn,  and  the  music 
was  very  beautiful  and  delightful  to  sing,  even  if  we 
could  not  understand  the  meaning  of  the  Hebrew.  When 
the  words  of  one  service  had  been  conquered,  the  others 
were  easy  to  sing — like  the  Latin  in  the  masses.  The 
Episcopal  service,  which  is  as  familiar  as  all  the  others  to 

127 


me,  has  the  same  Te  Deums,  hymns  and  chants,  choruses 
and  quartette,  litany  and  vespers,  services,  glorias  and 
sacred  cantatas.  There  is  extra  music  for  Christmas  fes- 
tivals and  appropriate  music  for  Lenten  seasons  and  joy- 
ful songs  for  Easter,  processional  and  recessional  hymns 
written  for  this  service  by  well-known  men.  The  orthodox 
services  are  not  so  elaborate — an  opening  anthem,  hymns, 
offertories  selected  from  the  many  available  churchly  com- 
positions written  by  Dudley  Buck,  Adam,  Mason,  Am- 
brose and  other  English  and  American  writers  of  our 
time  and  before  our  time.  I  have  a  wonderfully  fine 
collection  of  such  songs  that  I  have  used  all  these  years 
and  have  successfully  sung.  My  sixteen  years'  service  in 
Calvary  gave  me  opportunity  to  collect  the  best  songs  to 
use  for  the  church.  We  used  the  church  and  home  col- 
lection, Mosenthal's  collection,  Mendelssohn's  Hymn  of 
Praise,  cantata  of  O  for  the  Wings  of  a  Dove,  Te  Deums 
by  the  best  composers  of  sacred  songs  and  anthems,  ora- 
torios, Moses  in  Egypt,  David,  Samson,  Creation,  Elijah, 
St.  Paul,  Messiah  (by  Handel),  Stabat  Mater  (by  Rossini), 
Daughter  of  Jarius,  God,  Thou  Art  Great  (by  L.  Spohr), 
Baumbach  collection  of  sacred  music,  Easter  and  Christmas 
music  written  by  the  well-known  writers  of  the  times. 

Leaving  the  sacred  work,  I  have  also  a  grand  col- 
lection of  other  works  that  I  have  sung  in  my  musical 
life — Racine's  Athalie,  The  Erl  King's  Daughter  (by 
Miles  W.  Gade),  First  Walpurgis  Night.  Esther  formed 
one  of  the  epochs  of  my  time,  given  in  Platt's  hall,  on 
Montgomery  street,  by  Mr.  William  Badger,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Episcopal  Sabbath  schools  of  the  city  in 
1874;  Queen,  Madam  Anna  Bishop,  soprano;  King,  Wal- 
ter Campbell;  Haman,  Vernon  Lincoln;  Haman's  wife, 
Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto.  The  chorus  was  com- 
posed of  members  of  the  Handel  and  Hayden  Society. 
The  old  hall  was  filled  to  overflowing  and  the  singers  at 
their  best,  and  certainly  success  crowned  every  number. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  audience  knew  no  bounds  and  we 
were  crowned  with  honors  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 
If  ever  there  was  a  happy  man,  it  was  William  Badger, 
the  piano  dealer  and  Sunday  school  children's  friend.  We 
were  all  paid  the  highest  salaries  and  still  the  benefit  was 
a  grand  financial  success  for  the  Sunday  schools.  Should 
I  attempt  to  give  all  the  different  amusements  and  enter- 
tainments of  every  kind  during  my  life  of  song,  it  would 
require  a  book  of  many  hundred  pages.  It  is  my  inten- 
tion to  speak  of  the  most  important  musical  and  dramatic 
performances  and  epochs  of  my  life,  as  I  have  had  a  part 

128 


Rev.  Dr.  A.  M.  Anderson          Rev.  Dr.  Scudder  Rev.  Dr.  EelU 

Stockton,  1852  San  Francisco  San  Francisco  and  Oakland 

Rev.  Dr.  A.  L.  Stone      The  Right  Rev.  Ingraham  Kip         Rev.  John  Hemphill 

San  Francisco  Stockton,  Benicia,  Santa  Cruz  San  Francisco 

Rev.  H.  D.  Lathrop  and  San  Francisco  Rev  Dr.  Bellows 

San  Francisco  and  Oakland  San  Francisco 

EMINENT    DIVINES    FOR    WHOM    MRS.    BLAKE-ALVERSON 
HAS  SUNG 


in  all  these  demonstrations  and  met  all  kinds  of  artists. 
It  will  in  a  measure,  I  hope,  be  an  incentive  for  those 
who  are  musically  inclined  to  pursue  with  energy,  en- 
thusiasm and  faithful  work  the  delightful  task  which 
music  brings  to  us  like  other  lines  of  education.  You  will 
find  there  is  no  "royal  road  to  learning."  The  highest 
attainments  can  only  be  gained  by  careful,  conscientious 
and  intelligent  study  in  the  different  departments  under- 
taken. Students  must  remember,  "those  who  go  slowly 
go  safely,  and  those  who  go  safely  go  far." 


129 


CHAPTER  FOURTEEN 


GREAT    MUSICAL   FESTIVAL   IN   AID   OF   THE   MERCANTILE 
LIBRARY,  1878.      AT  GILROY  SPRINGS. 

HE  grand  musical  festival  given  in  the  Me- 
chanics pavilion,  San  Francisco,  May  28,  29 
and  30,  1878,  was  the  second  largest  under- 
taking since  the  one  given  in  1873  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Mechanics'  Library  associa- 
tion with  Camilla  Urso,  virtuoso,  and  R.  H.  Herold,  con- 
ductor, with  12,000  voices. 

The  general  committee  of  this  grand  festival  was  com- 
posed of  musicians  and  singers  and  directors  of  various 
musical  organizations.  They  were  as  follows: 

EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE 

A.  M.  Benham,  Samuel  D.  Mayer,  Wendell  Easton,  Sumner  W. 
Bugbee,  manager. 

GENERAL    COMMITTEE 

Business  Men — Geo.  E.  Barnes,  Geo.  Brown,  Wm.  G.  Badger, 
Quincy  A.  Chase,  John  T.  Coe,  James  Denman,  W.  P.  Edwards,  Jr., 
Samuel  C.  Gray,  Jas.  E.  Gordon,  M.  Gray,  Robt.  T.  Harrison,  F.  A. 
Harnden,  L.  K.  Hammer,  August  Hunme,  Col.  J.  P.  Jackson,  G.  S. 
Johnson,  M.  A.  Kennedy,  Andrew  Kohler,  Warren  Leland,  S.  H. 
Long. 

Musicians — H.  M.  Bosworth,  C.  L.  Crabtree,  John  P.  Morgan, 
Wm.  Fletcher,  Geo.  J.  Gee,  Ernest  Hartmann,  H.  Heyman,  R.  Herold, 
H.  O.  Hunt,  W.  H.  Kinross,  D.  W.  Loring,  Fred  Lyster,  W.  J. 
McDougal,  Charles  McCurrie,  H.  L.  Mansfeldt,  E.  Pique,  Geo.  H. 
Powers,  Martin  Schultz,  Prof.  Sleanter,  Charles  Schultz,  G.  A.  Scott. 

Singers— W.  C.  Campbell,  Chas.  Dugan,  Wash.  Elliott,  D.  P. 
Hughes,  F.  A.  Hyde,  Alf.  Kelleher,  S.  W.  Leach,  Carl  Formes, 
G.  Mancusi,  D.  W.  C.  Nesfield,  I.  Stadtfeldt,  M.  S.  Stimson,  J.  E. 
Tippett,  Jos.  Trenkle,  Wm.  Toepke,  H.  T.  Todd,  John  Trehane, 
David  Wilder,  D.  L.  Wetherbee,  Jas.  L.  Wilson,  Asa  R.  Wells,  R.  L. 
Thurston,  D.  Van  Vleck,  E.  C.  Mastin,  Gen.  John  McComb,  D.  W. 
Murphy,  Jos.  O'Connor,  Frank  M.  Pixley,  H.  H.  Pierson,  W.  E. 
Price,  J.  B.  Russell,  John  A.  Rice,  L.  S.  Sherman,  Henry  T.  Scott 
and  H.  S.  Smith. 

BOUQUET  OF  ARTISTS 

Soprano — Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Little,  Mrs.  Lizzie 
P.  Howell,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Pierce,  Mrs.  Douglas  Saunders,  Miss  Mary  E. 
Wadsworth,  Mrs.  R.  A.  Van  Brunt,  Mrs.  Ella  Segar  Lamphere,  Miss 
Lita  Farrar,  Mrs.  Urig,  Mrs.  M.  P.  Waldron,  Miss  Annie  Ribbons, 
Mrs.  Martin  Schultz,  Miss  Flora  McKinney  (Napa),  Mrs.  John  P. 
Morgan,  Mrs.  Clara  McCheney,  Mrs.  H.  E.  Willy,  Mrs.  May  Banta. 

130 


Altos — Mrs.  Blake-Alverson,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Clement,  Mrs.  J.  F. 
Cooper  (Sacramento),  Mrs.  Carter  (Sacramento),  Mrs.  Geo.  W. 
Drew  (Sacramento),  Mrs.  Snow  (Sacramento),  Miss  Ida  Beutler, 
Miss  Emma  Beutler,  Mrs.  Wm.  Fletcher,  Miss  Belle  Thomas,  Mrs. 
Chas.  King,  Mrs.  S.  Rightmire,  Mrs.  Withrow,  Mrs.  Chisholm,  Miss 
Kate  Stone,  Miss  Millar,  Mrs.  Ella  Steele-Brown  and  Mrs.  Adelaide 
Reuter. 

Tenors — Ben  Clark,  John  Trehune,  D.  P.  Hughes,  Harry  Gates, 
Samuel  D.  Mayer,  Geo.  W.  Jackson,  W.  N.  Otey,  E.  C.  Masten, 
Dr.  Geo.  H.  Powers,  J.  E.  Tippett,  Dr.  A.  M.  Wilder,  C.  L.  Crab- 
tree,  Wash.  Elliott,  J.  L.  Skinner  (Sacramento),  Robt.  Burns  (Ar- 
cata)  and  W.  E.  Price. 

Bass— J.  W.  Yarndley,  J.  E.  Blake,  Wm.  P.  Edwards,  Jr.,  R. 
Jansen,  Chas.  Dugan,  D.  W.  C.  Nesfield,  G.  Nathanson,  G.  Mancusi, 
Phillip  Jones,  Charles  E.  Holbrook,  E.  Pique,  Walter  C.  Campbell, 
Carl  Formes,  W.  H.  Kinross  and  Jacob  StadfeldL 

In  addition  to  our  many  fine  singers,  the  committee 
secured  from  the  East  as  director  the  well-known  and 
popular  leader,  Carl  Zerrahn.  Negotiations  were  made 
with  the  most  celebrated  singers  of  the  East,  and  among 
those  to  come  were :  Myron  W.  Whitney,  bass ;  Miss 
Anna  Drasdil,  contralto;  Mrs.  Helen  Ames  Billings,  so- 
prano; Mrs.  Clark,  soprano,  and  Mr.  Fessenden,  tenor. 
With  the  assistance  of  these  strangers  and  local  artists 
that  could  be  depended  upon  for  solo  work,  everything 
looked  auspicious  for  the  festival.  Rehearsals  began  im- 
mediately. Our  parts  were  assigned  to  us.  For  the  first 
concert  the  bouquet  of  artists  sang  Spirit  Immortal  (Verdi), 
and  sextette,  Chi  Mi  Frena  (Donizetti)  ;  second  concert, 
Sleepers,  Awake  (Mendelssohn),  male  chorus;  The  Sol- 
dier's Farewell ;  Anvil  Chorus,  full  orchestra,  anvils, 
artillery,  etc. ;  third  concert,  Inflammatus,  Mrs.  Marriner, 
soloist,  bouquet  of  artists  and  grand  chorus;  Spirit  Im- 
mortal repeated;  Chi  Mi  Frena  repeated;  America,  Hal- 
lelujah Chorus;  Star  Spangled  Banner. 

The  solos  of  chorus  numbers  were  sung  by  our  local 
soloists.  While  the  Eastern  singers  were  excellent,  they 
found  out  that  in  California  there  were  also  artists  to  be 
respected,  as  did  the  distinguished  leader,  Carl  Zerrahn, 
when  he  began  the  rehearsals.  He  had  nothing  but  the 
highest  praise  for  the  fine  musicians  he  found  in  this 
section.  Before  this  great  gathering  of  singers  and  people 
came  to  an  end,  there  was  still  another  concert  as  a  fare- 
well tribute  to  the  strangers.  It  took  place  in  the  Grand 
Opera  house  and  proved  to  be  a  grand  finale  to  this 
successful  musical  undertaking.  Every  seat  in  the  opera 
house  was  taken.  The  soloists  were  at  their  best;  the 
choruses  grand  and  inspiring  and  full  of  animation.  The 
orchestral  numbers  were  all  new.  The  bouquet  of  artists 

131 


sang  their  concerted  passage  from  Lucia  even  better  than 
on  the  former  occasions. 

Besides  these  concerts  there  was  also  a  promenade 
concert  at  the  Pavilion  for  the  numerous  visitors  from 
the  interior  cities  and  2,000  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity.  There  was  also  an  afternoon  concert  by 
3,000  children  under  the  baton  of  Prof.  Mansfeldt,  and 
on  Monday  night  the  sacred  concert  with  portions  of 
Elijah  and  the  choice  numbers  of  the  previous  concerts 
was  successfully  given,  and  the  musical  festival  of  1878 
passed  into  history. 

Since  the  chorus  played  so  prominent  a  part  in  this 
festival  season,  it  would  be  well  to  add  also  a  tribute  of 
thanks  to  these  singers  of  the  city  and  interior  delegations 
who  came  at  the  call  of  the  director,  Sumner  Bugbee, 
in  splendid  numbers,  showing  that  all  the  cities  of  the 
state  made  music  a  prominent  factor.  The  number  of 
singers  who  took  part  in  the  first  day's  performance  was 
1,800.  The  following  were  the  places  from  which  the 
choruses  were  drawn,  with  the  number  from  each,  to- 
gether with  the  names  of  directors: 

Bouquet  of  artists  (50),  Carl  Zerrahn,  director;  Handel  and 
Hayden  society  (453),  J.  P.  Morgan,  director;  George  Gee's  class 
(100)  ;  Jackson's  Glee  club  (165),  G.  W.  Jackson,  director;  Apollo 
Glee  club  (95),  Martin  Schultz,  director;  Sacramento  (60),  J.  Mc- 
Niell  and  Chas.  Winters,  directors;  San  Rafael  (24),  R.  M.  Bos- 
worth,  director;  Oakland  Harmonic  (165),  J.  P.  Morgan,  director; 
Oakland  Orpheus  (80),  J.  W.  McDougall,  director;  Oakland  High 
School  (81),  H.  J.  Todd,  director;  Healdsburg  and  Santa  Rosa 
(41);  San  Jose  (60),  Z.  M.  Parvin,  director;  Gilroy  (12),  Prof. 
Johnson,  director;  Merced  (2),  San  Juan  (2),  Eureka  (24),  J. 
Hetherington,  director;  Rocklin  (4),  Salinas  (24),  W.  J.  McCoy, 
director;  Diamond  Springs  (26),  M.  R.  Griffiths,  director;  Wood- 
land (24),  C.  E.  Pinkham,  director;  Suisun  (18),  D.  R.  Stockman, 
director;  Stockton  (26),  E.  W.  Elliott,  director;  Portland  (17), 
Prof.  Morse,  director;  Soquel  (14),  T.  S.  Tartton,  director;  Mo- 
desto (21),  W.  H.  Franzini,  director;  Sonoma  (3),  Santa  Barbara 
(7),  G.  H.  Young,  director;  San  Diego  (17),  E.  D.  Blackner, 
director;  San  Buena  Ventura  (9),  Max  Eiderline,  director;  Vaca- 
ville  (15),  Theo.  Ritzner,  director;  Nevada  City  (10),  Visalia  (8), 
Prof.  Hirsch,  director;  Oregon  (22),  and  many  individual  singers 
of  no  society. 

It  was  a  pity  that  after  all  this  success  there  should 
come  an  aftermath  of  unhappy,  unpaid  singers  and  play- 
ers who  were  unable  to  realize  a  farthing  from  their 
splendid  work.  Mr.  Bugbee  slipped  quietly  out  of  the  city, 
Mr.  Kinross  sailed  on  the  Portland  steamer,  Mr.  Benham 
disappeared,  as  did  also  Mr.  Easton.  The  concerts  cer- 
tainly paid  a  splendid  profit,  but  expenses  and  high  sal- 
aries of  these  men  ate  up  the  expected  profits.  Everything 

132 


John  P.  Morgan 
Oakland 


Carl  Zerrahn 
Boston 


Rudolf  Herold 
San  Francisco 


MUSICAL  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  MAY  FESTIVAL 
San   Francisco,    1 878 


was  carried  out  with  a  lavish  hand  and  Mr.  Bugbee,  with 
all  his  promises,  did  not  fulfill  them  as  by  contract.  I 
do  not  know  what  the  other  soloists'  losses  were,  but  my 
portion  was  to  be  $150  for  three  days,  carriages,  etc. 
After  the  concert  in  the  opera  house  I  never  saw  Mr. 
Bugbee,  although  I  made  every  effort  to  do  so.  He  was 
lost  to  San  Francisco  forever.  A  number  of  years  after 
all  this  trouble  I  saw  a  notice  of  his  death  in  a  southern 
city.  Carl  Zerrahn  was  the  only  one  who  benefited  by 
his  coming  and  he  returned  home  with  $2,500  in  his 
pockets,  a  gold  medal,  laurel  wreath  and  embossed  letters 
of  appreciation  from  the  musicians  of  California.  I  never 
knew  how  settlement  was  made  with  the  managers  and 
the  Eastern  artists.  It  is  my  opinion  they  received  nothing 
and  were  obliged  to  return  on  their  own  expenses.  The 
papers  were  full  of  sarcasm  and  by-play  upon  the  names 
of  the  prominent  men  who  had  the  matter  in  hand. 
"Charles  Stoddard,  our  poet,  had  his  genius  completely 
crushed  under  the  $20  that  he  did  not  receive  for  his 
work."  The  San  Francisco  Chronicle  said  further:  "In 
the  meantime,  the  present  creditors  are  singing  with  much 
vim  the  Oweratoweriwoe  of  the  Gotterdammerung." 

Laying  all  jokes  aside,  it  was  a  great  event.  It  would 
give  the  reader  only  a  faint  idea  of  the  mass  of  humanity 
to  express  its  size  merely  by  so  many  thousands.  The 
spectator  looking  down  upon  it  from  some  upper  seat  of 
the  boundless  gallery  of  the  choral  amphitheater  saw  an 
awe-inspiring  scene.  People  in  numbers  almost  as  great 
as  the  standing  army  of  the  United  States  were  packed  so 
closely  together  that  all  individuality  was  lost,  and  the 
pulsating  aggregate  looked  like  the  exposed  and  mottled 
back  of  some  submerged  sea  monster.  Between  the  parts 
of  the  programme  the  combined  hum  of  ten  thousand  voices 
floated  upon  the  air  like  the  deep  boom  of  the  surf  on  the 
seashore.  When  the  raised  seats  were  well  filled  in  the 
vast  gallery  the  graduation  was  lost  to  the  eye,  and  the 
whole  presented  a  plane  surface  as  rich  in  coloring  as  if 
it .  had  been  a  hanging  of  rarely  worked  tapestry.  The 
main  floor  was  one  solid  mass  of  female  loveliness  and 
manly  worth.  There  were  national  dignitaries  on  a  visit 
to  the  coast,  state  dignitaries  from  Sacramento,  city  digni- 
taries and  nature's  noblemen  from  all  over  the  country  at 
large.  The  amiable  and  heavily  bearded  countenance  of 
Governor  Irwin  was  conspicuous  in  one  of  the  boxes.  The 
buxom  and  benign  countenance  of  Mayor  Bryant,  his 
person  clad  in  a  rigorously  accurate  full  dress  costume, 
was  not  less  noticeable.  But  the  ladies!  Oh,  there  began 

133 


the  tempest  of  the  soul  of  any  man  who  tried  to  pick  out 
any  one  who  was  more  pre-eminently  attractive  than  the 
other.  The  eye  could  travel  on  forever  through  the  boxes 
from  east  to  west,  from  Mission  street  to  Market,  from 
the  main  floor  to  the  roof,  and  every  prospect  was  pleas- 
ing and  man  was  utterly  outvied.  At  half  past  two  the 
tall  and  graceful  conductor,  Carl  Zerrahn,  arrayed  in  a 
black  frock  coat  and  a  pair  of  lavender  colored  trousers, 
stepped  lightly  down  the  gorgeous  hill  of  choristers  to 
the  front  of  the  orchestra,  made  a  profound  bow  to  the 
audience,  then  turned  and  raised  his  baton  to  the  chorus. 
Instantly  the  1,800  rose  to  their  feet  with  a  motion  so 
well  timed  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  south  end  of 
the  pavilion  was  rising.  As  1,800  scarlet-covered  chorus 
books  were  hoisted  into  view,  the  whole  amphitheater 
seemed  aflame  as  if  for  an  exaggerated  incantation  scene 
of  Fra  Diavolo.  Then  there  was  another  motion  of  the 
baton,  with  the  precision  of  a  machine  fifty  bows  scraped 
upwards  over  fifty  violins  and  150  other  instruments, 
and  1,800  voices  burst  forth  in  melody. 

From  1870  to  1882  it  was  my  custom  to  go  to  Gilroy 
Mineral  Springs  for  my  vacation.  Many  and  varied  were 
the  programmes  we  gave  there  each  year,  and  not  an  eve- 
ning of  our  stay  lagged  for  entertainment.  In  1879  I  hap- 
pened to  be  there  at  the  time  of  my  birthday.  There  were 
150  guests  and  all  entered  with  zest  into  a  plan  to  honor 
me.  I  was  not  aware  that  any  one  knew  of  my  forty- 
third  birthday,  so  unconsciously  I  was  doing  my  utmost 
to  serve  the  many  prominent  guests  and  my  friends, 
George  Roop  and  wife,  who  were  the  proprietors  of  the 
Springs.  Among  the  guests  were:  Mr.  John  F.  Merrill 
and  wife,  the  Misses  Dolly  and  Susie  Sroufe,  Phil  Mc- 
Govern  and  party,  prominent  merchants  and  families  from 
the  neighboring  towns  of  Santa  Cruz,  San  Jose,  Gilroy 
and  Monterey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  A.  Smiley  and  oth- 
ers from  San  Francisco,  Isadore  Lazinski  of  business  col- 
lege fame,  the  Remillards  and  Folkers  and  Cottles  and 
others. 

After  an  early  dinner  the  dining  hall  was  cleared 
for  our  entertainment.  The  room  was  decorated  with 
ferns  and  wild  flowers,  and  flags  and  ribbons  streamed  in 
graceful  folds.  The  programme  consisted  of  songs,  music 
of  piano,  guitar,  violin,  classic  and  negro  melodies,  etc. 
It  was  after  I  had  given  "Sarah  Walker's  Opinion"  that 
Miss  Grace  Roop  stepped  forward  and  placed  a  laurel 
wreath  with  streaming  ribbons  floating  gracefully  from  it 
upon  my  head,  wishing  me  a  happy  birthday.  To  my 

134 


- 


BOUQUET   OF   ARTISTS 
May  Festival,  San  Francisco,  1878 


utter  surprise,  scarcely  had  she  stepped  aside  when  Mrs. 
Geo.  Smiley  of  San  Francisco  came  forward  and  began 
reading  a  letter  of  thanks  and  congratulations  from  the 
guests  who  had  enjoyed  the  many  evenings  of  entertain- 
ment to  which  I  had  contributed.  She  then  placed  an 
envelope  in  my  hand  containing  three  $20  bills  and  one 
of  $5,  as  a  token  of  regard  and  appreciation  from  the 
guests.  After  a  short  speech  of  thanks  and  the  closing 
song  and  chorus  of  Home,  Sweet  Home,  the  eventful  day 
came  to  its  close. 

This  was  one  of  the  many  seasons  that,  away  from 
the  cares  of  life,  I  gave  others  who  were  afflicted  with 
many  ills  a  little  brightness  of  song  life.  My  coming  was 
always  heralded  a  week  before,  and  expectant  faces 
awaited  me,  knowing  I  would  give  entertainment.  There 
was  one  poor  sufferer  who  never  expected  to  see  his 
home  again.  On  my  arrival  he  was  not  able  to  leave  his 
room.  Being  informed  that  the  singing  lady  had  arrived, 
he  sadly  sighed  on  his  pillow,  "Then  I'll  not  hear  her,  as 
I  had  hoped."  After  the  second  evening  Mrs.  Roop  re- 
lated the  story  of  the  young  man  who  was  dying  slowly 
and  was  so  disappointed  that  he  could  not  hear  me  sing 
before  he  passed  away.  I  was  touched  by  this  appeal. 
I  soon  found  four  good  voices  among  the  guests  and  we 
arranged  the  quartette  and  practiced  together  until  we 
could  sing  with  soft  effect.  After  we  had  entertained  the 
guests  for  an  hour  we  all  marched  quietly  to  the  cottage 
of  the  young  man.  The  moon  was  at  its  height  and  the 
time  and  scene  befitting  our  tribute  to  the  dying  soul. 
The  nurse  opened  the  door  quietly.  The  invalid  had  fallen 
asleep  in  the  back  room,  the  moon  shining  in  at  his  win- 
dow in  soft  light  upon  his  pale  face.  With  voices  sub- 
dued we  began  the  song  of  Home,  Sweet  Home.  He 
talked  in  his  sleep,  "Yes,  I  am  coming  home."  He  heard, 
yet  was  not  enough  awake  to  know  the  song  was  sung 
by  earthly  voices.  At  last,  with  a  deep  sigh,  he  awoke 
and  said,  "Nurse,  I  have  been  called  home.  Shall  I  hear 
her  sing  before  I  go?"  "Yes,  I  think  so."  While  he 
spoke  the  sign  was  given  and  I  sang  Nearer,  My  God, 
to  Thee,  with  the  other  voices  softly  following  each 
verse.  "Oh,  the  angel  has  come  at  last."  "Listen,  she  is 
singing  to  you,"  said  the  nurse.  "Hark,  is  it  not  the 
angel  voices?  Is  it  real?  Then  I  have  heard  the  heavenly 
song  before  I  go.  Oh,  how  beautiful  it  all  is  and  how 
kind  of  all  these  friends  to  come  to  me  and  make  me  so 
happy  with  their  song  in  my  last  hours  on  earth.  Listen," 
he  whispered.  "Still  another  song  for  me,"  he  gasped 

135 


out.  Safe  in  the  Arms  of  Jesus  we  sang  and  he  was 
listening  intently  as  his  life  was  ebbing  away.  As  we 
closed  the  hymn,  Sweetly  His  Soul  Shall  Rest,  he  had 
crossed  the  River  of  Life  and  nothing  remained  but  the 
casket,  emaciated  and  cold  in  death,  with  the  face  of  a 
saint  and  a  smile  on  his  silent  lips — gone  to  his  eternal 
rest  to  hear  the  music  of  angelic  voices  around  the  Throne 
of  God.  This  is  the  cup  of  cold  water  our  Savior  bade 
us  to  give.  If  the  gift  of  the  human  voice  is  sanctified  in 
such  work  of  love,  then  it  is  worth  while  for  every  one 
who  can  sing  and  has  this  glorious  gift  of  song  to  strive 
for  the  most  beautiful  use  of  it  known  to  the  art  of  tone 
production  so  as  to  bring  happiness  to  the  singer  and  his 
enwrapt  listeners,  be  they  young  or  old,  rich  or  poor,  sick 
or  dying,  in  the  sanctuary  or  for  the  bridal  rejoicings. 
Vitiate  not  this  gift  with  the  lower  thought  of  the  art 
of  singing.  Strive  for  the  highest  ideals  and  your  hap- 
piness will  be  tenfold  greater. 


136 


CHAPTER  FIFTEEN 


AUTHORS'  CARNIVAL,  1880,  PRESIDENT  HAYES  AND  GENERAL 
SHERMAN  PRESENT 

HE  GRAND  Authors'  Carnival  given  for  the 
Associated  Charities  of  San  Francisco,  Octo- 
ber 18  to  October  28,  1880,  can  well  be 
classed  as  the  crowning  effort  of  anything 
attempted  upon  so  large  a  scale.  If  there 
are  still  living  in  San  Francisco  auditors  of  the  wonder- 
ful performance  given  by  the  2000  participants  who  were 
enlisted  in  the  great  work  they  will  corroborate  my 
statement.  The  wealthy  women  who  managed  these 
homes  financially,  were  also  the  officers  of  them  and  had 
called  for  aid.  It  was  so  beautiful  to  see  the  spirit  of 
these  people  in  completing  the  arrangements  for  this 
carnival.  Meetings  were  held  weekly  until  their  plans 
had  matured  and  it  was  agreed  unanimously  that  the 
Booths  of  All  Nations  should  be  featured  with  the 
principal  works  of  the  world's  greatest  writers.  Charles 
Crocker  was  chosen  as  treasurer.  The  books  were 
selected  and  the  booths  received  their  names  from  the 
author  of  the  books.  The  book  that  fell  to  our  lot  of 
actors  was  Martin  Chuzzlewit,  by  Charles  Dickens.  At 
first  our  committee  was  inclined  to  refuse  to  act  these 
queer  characters,  but  we  had  given  our  word  to  help 
and  we  could  not  go  back  on  that.  I  asked  Mrs.  Grove 
to  let  me  take  the  book  to  see  what  could  be  done  at 
this  late  hour.  All  the  other  booths  had  begun  their 
rehearsals.  It  was  fortunate  for  me  that  I  had  traveled 
much  and  seen  so  many  odd  characters.  As  I  read 
carefully  I  was  convinced  we  could  excel  in  this  very 
book.  I  went  to  the  library  and  got  a  Dickens  book 
illustrated  by  Cruikshank.  We  called  a  meeting  and 
found  we  needed  thirty-two  persons.  At  this  meeting  I 
showed  the  possibilities  of  these  seemingly  ugly  charac- 
ters. Parts  were  assigned  and  arrangements  made  for 
rehearsals. 

The  women  of  the  general  committee  on  booths  were 
more  than  exultant  to  think  we  were  willing  to  take  this 
rejected  book.  We  were  determined  to  succeed.  Our 

137 


costumes  were  the  art  of  perfection  and  we  were  a 
motley  crowd  of  characters  from  Sairy  Gamp  to  Quilp, 
from  the  Pecksniffs  to  Mark  Tapley.  Besides  studying 
the  proper  characters  we  were  obliged  to  have  a  series  of 
tableaux  to  represent  the  different  episodes  in  the  lives  of 
these  people.  Our  book  called  for  thirteen  tableaux: 

1.  The  Chuzzlewit  Family  8.  Sairy  Gamp's  corpse 

2.  Martin    Jr.    arrives    at    the  9.  There  is  nothing  he  don't 
Pecksniffs  know 

3.  Visiting  Miss  Pinch  10.  Miss  Pinch's  pudding 

4.  Todgers  Boarding  House  11.  Sairy  Gamp  proposes  a  toast 

5.  Truth    prevails    and    Virtue  12.  Pecksniff  rebuked  by  Martin, 
triumphs  Senior 

6.  Jonas  entertains  his  cousins  13.  The  wedding  scene 

7.  Sairy  Gamp  (the  nurse) 

Characters  for  the  booth  were  as  follows : 

Martin  Chuzzlewit  Sr Walter  H.  Smith 

Martin   Chuzzlewit  Jr D.   M.   Van   Vliet 

Anthony    Chuzzlewit Scott    Elder 

Jonas  Chuzzlewit Geo.  L.  Underbill 

George   Chuzzlewit Percival   J.   Keeler 

Strong  minded  woman Lucy  A.  M.  Grove 

Daughter  No.  1 Miss  Mary  L.  Brown 

Daughter  No.  2 Mrs.  J.  Byles 

Daughter  No.  3 Miss  Lizzie   Duncan 

Mary  Graham Mrs    Scott   Elder 

Pecksniff  H.  G.  Sturtevant 

Charity   Pecksniff Mrs.   M.   B.   Alverson 

Mercy   Pecksniff Alice   Van    Winkle 

Mrs.  Todgers Mrs.   M.    S.   Williams 

Deaf  Cousin Mrs.  C.  C.  Burr 

Sairy  Gamp Mrs.  John  Evans 

Betsy  Prigg Mrs.  G.  B.  Holt 

Mr.    Spordetoe John    Evans 

Mrs.    Spottletoe Mrs.    William    Hawley 

Tom    Pinch Miss    Ruby   Hawley 

Mrs.  Lupin Miss   Addie   Mclntyre 

Miss   Pinch's  pupil Miss   Eva   Reynolds 

Mark   Tapley Frank    Harrold 

Montague  Tigg J.   D.   Brown 

Chevy  Slime S.  T.   Maguire 

Jinkins C.    W.    Sturtavent 

John   Westlock A.    F.    Price 

Chuffy Wm.   A.   Underbill 

Bailey  Geo.  A.  Alullen 

Grand    Nephew Wm.    Romaine 

Moadle Geo.   L.  Underbill 

Mould Wm.   A.   Underbill 

We  worked  hard  for  days  perfecting  our  parts.  Our 
first  rehearsal  was  a  forerunner  of  our  complete  suc- 
cess. The  critics  were  present  at  the  dress  rehearsal 
and  this  is  what  appeared  in  the  Carnival  column  of  the 
San  Francisco  "Chronicle"  next  day.  "H.  G.  Sturtevant, 
assisted  by  Mrs.  Lucy  Grove  and  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson, 

138 


is  conducting  the  scenes  from  Martin  Chuzzlewit.  Their 
full  dress  rehearsal  was  held  last  night  at  203  Post 
street.  Tigg  and  Mark  Tapley,  the  youthful  Bailey, 
Charity  with  upturned  nose,  the  sanctimonious  Mercy  and 
her  Pecksniffian  airs  were  all  made  up  to  perfection. 
The  demure  Ruth  buttered  her  pudding-pan  and  talked 
to  gentle  Tom  as  a  genuine  Miss  Pinch  should.  Jonas 
played  his  ace  of  hearts  to  the  entertainment  alike  of 
himself  and  friends.  Sairy  Gamp  and  the  stolid  Betsy 
drank  tea  and  quarreled  with  equal  industry.  The  list 
of  thirteen  acts  and  tableaux  to  be  presented  in  this 
booth  will  illustrate  every  important  episode  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Chuzzlewits  from  the  arrival  of  Martin  Junior 
at  Pecksniff's  cottage  to  the  period  of  the  latter  gentle- 
man's rebuke  and  downfall.  The  series  will  close  with 
Charity  Pecksniff's  wedding,  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  as 
Charity." 

It  would  require  too  much  space  to  present  the  criti- 
cisms of  each  character  of  our  booth  as  they  appeared 
in  the  papers  daily.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  after  the 
carnival  was  over  the  committee  of  the  carnival  in  thank- 
ing us  for  our  valuable  services  said  that  had  there 
been  prizes  given,  the  Pecksniffs  should  have  received  the 
first  prize.  Each  night  as  the  procession  started  it  began 
with  our  booth  and  as  we  passed  each  booth  they  would 
join  in  the  motley  crowd  of  characters  until  all  the  booths 
were  in  the  procession.  As  we  appeared  the  people  of 
the  different  booths  would  cry  out,  "Here  they  come, 
here  comes  Charity  Pecksniff,"  forgetting  their  own  parts 
when  they  saw  the  funny  Pecksniffs  leading  off  the  pro- 
cession. One  evening  a  man  in  the  audience  made  a 
wager  that  he  would  make  Charity  Pecksniff  lower  her 
elevated  and  scornful  nose.  As  she  passed  he  said :  "There 
is  a  twenty  dollar  gold  piece  at  your  feet,  pick  it  up," 
but  she  refused  to  betray  her  character  and  the  ruse 
did  not  succeed. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  carnival  wras  the  proces- 
sion of  each  booth  to  the  center  of  the  immense  stage 
where  the  spot-light  was  turned  on.  It  was  a  most 
admirable  detail.  It  looked  like  a  long  caravan  of  the 
past  sweeping  onward  through  the  vivid  light  of  the 
present.  The  intense  light  revealed  the  endless  variety 
and  marvellous  beauty  of  the  costumes.  It  was  under- 
stood that  the  same  pageant  would  be  repeated  each 
night  so  the  people  came  early  to  witness  the  procession 
of  this  immense  number  of  participants  winding  slowly 
along  until  they  reached  the  stage.  When  the  Peck- 

139 


sniffs  arrived  on  the  stage  a  shout  rent  the  air  each 
night  and  we  were  obliged  to  remain  in  the  spot  light 
until  the  cheering  had  subsided.  It  was  ten  days  of 
notoriety  wholly  unexpected  by  the  Pecksniffs.  We  were 
only  carrying  out  our  idea  of  these  characters  and  had 
become  the  chief  attraction  of  the  motley  procession. 
While  some  of  the  characters  had  individual  pictures  of 
themselves  taken,  there  should  have  been  large  groups 
photographed  as  a  permanent  reminder  of  the  carnival. 
It  would  take  volumes  to  describe  the  separate  costumes 
of  these  well  represented  characters.  Thre  was  but  one 
incident  which  marred  the  happiness  of  the  revelers  in 
the  booths,  the  death  of  Mr.  Biddle  Bishop,  the  Don 
Antonio  of  the  Cervantes  booth,  who  was  drowned  in 
the  Alameda  baths.  By  his  affable  manners  and  intelli- 
gence he  had  endeared  himself  to  all  of  his  associates 
who  felt  as  though  they  were  themselves  bereaved.  Out 
of  respect  to  his  sudden  death  the  Cervantes  booth  was 
closed  for  one  night.  He  was  also  one  of  the  young 
deacons  of  Calvary  Church  and  was  a  well  beloved  pupil 
of  mine  with  a  fine  baritone  voice  which  was  fast  devel- 
oping and  he  would  have  been  classed  among  the  singers 
of  his  time.  I  know  of  no  one  more  worthy  to  meet 
his  Maker  for  he  was  an  exemplary  young  man,  full 
of  Christian  love  and  charity  toward  all.  The  funeral 
services  were  held  in  Calvary  Church,  Rev.  John  Hemphill, 
the  pastor,  spoke  eloquently  of  his  late  parishioner.  The 
music  was  rendered  by  a  female  trio  club  composed  of 
Miss  Susie  Sroufe,  soprano;  Miss  Dolly  Sroufe,  second 
soprano;  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson,  contralto,  and  Professor 
Scott,  organist.  His  body  was  sent  to  his  home  in  Phila- 
delphia for  burial. 

In  looking  over  the  list  of  those  who  took  part  in 
the  Authors'  Carnival  only  five  of  the  number  who 
made  up  the  Chuzzelwit  booth  are  living,  to  my  knowl- 
edge. The  Dickens  books  booths  were  larger  than  the 
other  books.  The  tableaux  required  room  to  give  the 
proper  effect.  The  carnival  opened  Monday  evening, 
September  20,  1880,  at  8  p.  m.  The  programme  follows: 

1.  Grand  March.  Marshals,  Messrs.  Joe  P.  Redding,  Lent  Mix, 
Capt.  Chamberlain,  Geo.  H.  Redding,  Frank  Horton,  Mr. 
Putman,  Jas.  W.  Burling,  R.  Gilmour,  Chas.  H.  Woods,  Col. 
Smedberg,  W.  E.  Dean,  C.  E.  Hinkley,  Max  Freeman.  2,000 
participants.  During  the  march  the  Grand  Military  band  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Gustav  Hinrichs  played: 

1.  Marches  aux  Flambeaux,  (a)  in  C  major;  (b)  in  E  flat  major 
(Meyerbeer). 

140 


-f 


Charity   Pecksniff   in  tableaux 


Charity  Pecksniff  Pecksniff  Mercy  Pecksniff 

Mrs.  Blake- Alverson  H.  G.  Sturtevant  Alice  Van  Winkle 

Henry  Van  Winkle  Dolly  Sroufe 

Cervantes  Booth  Italian  Booth 

AUTHORS'  CARNIVAL,   SAN   FRANCISCO,    1880 


2.  The  Nation's  Homage  to  the  Muse  of  Music.     (By  the  Musical 
Composers  booth.) 

3.  Overture — The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 

4.  The  Fan  Brigade.     Twenty-five  young  ladies. 

5.  Crowning  of  Corinne  at  the  Capitol.      (By  the  French  booth.) 

6.  Carnival   Guard. 

7.  Selections  from  Fledermaus  (Strauss). 

8.  Council  of  the  Gods.     (By  the  Homer  booth.) 

9.  Finale.     Overture  from  Le  Cheval  de  Bronze.     (Auber.) 

SECOND    NIGHT,   TUESDAY,    SEPTEMBER   21 

After  the  Grand  March  each  night  these  tableaux  were  per- 
formed and  between  them  were  selections  of  music  suitable  for 
the  tableaux  at  the  different  booths.  Spanish  booth,  Homer  booth, 
the  Egyptian  booth. 

THIRD     NIGHT,    WEDNESDAY,     SEPTEMBER    23 

Mrs.  Jarley's  waxworks.  Dickens'  booth  with  twenty-eight  wax 
figures.  Classic  funeral,  Lytton  booth ;  Fan  Brigade,  twenty-five 
young  ladies.  The  Abbott  Assolizes,  Robert  Bruce.  Walter  Scott 
booth. 

FOURTH    NIGHT,   THURSDAY,    SEPTEMBER   24 

(a)  Venus  rising  from  the  sea. 

(b)  Council    of    the    Gods,    Homer    booth.      Egypt's    gift    to 
America,  Egyptian  booth.     Concepcion  de  Arguello.     Ban- 
quet scene.     Bret  Harte  booth. 

FIFTH    NIGHT,   FRIDAY,    SEPTEMBER   25 

The  second  flight  of  La  Valliere.  The  concert  scene.  The 
French  booth. 

SIXTH    NIGHT,    SATURDAY,    SEPTEMBER    26 

Home  Sweet  Home.  Scenes  from  the  Homer  booth,  French, 
Egyptian,  Walter  Scott  and  the  Lytton  booths. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  a  crowded  house  always 
produces  enthusiasm  among  the  actors.  This  proved  to 
be  true  on  the  opening  night  of  this  tremendous  under- 
taking carried  out  for  ten  nights.  The  executive  com- 
mittee left  nothing  undone  to  make  the  old  pavilion  ar- 
tractive.  There  were  international  gardens  and  archery 
and  fan  brigades,  restaurant  and  refreshment  department, 
Italian  art  gallery  and  gardens,  loan  collections,  and  camp 
of  the  carnival  guard.  The  grand  stage  and  the  carnival 
bridge  with  the  Shakespeare  booth  were  the  largest  divi- 
sions on  the  main  and  upper  floors.  Among  the  booths 
were  the  following:  Dickens'  booth,  pictures  from  artists 
and  poets'  booth,  musical  composers'  booth,  Shakespeare 
booth,  Hawthorne  booth,  Arabian  Nights'  booth,  Lord 
Lytton  booth,  Bret  Harte  booth,  Charles  Reade  booth, 
Tintern  Abbey  booth,  Jacob  Grimm  booth,  French  booth, 
Cervantes'  booth,  Egyptian  booth,  bon  bon  booth,  floral 
booth,  executive  committee  booth. 

141 


The  fine  music  of  the  carnival  was  under  the  direction 
of  the  competent  leadership  of  Mr.  Gustav  Hinrichs,  who, 
with  his  splendid  military  band,  gave  pleasure  to  thousands 
of  spectators  and  inspiration  to  the  able  participants, 
quickening  their  steps  and  urging  them  on  each  night  to 
even  better  work.  The  executive  committee  spared  no 
pains  to  make  every  part  attractive  to  the  public.  Every 
convenience  of  the  spectators  was  promptly  attended  to. 
New  attractions  were  added  from  day  to  day,  and  rarely 
has  there  been  an  entertainment  given  which  offered  so 
much  genuine  amusement  for  the  price  of  admission.  The 
grand  march  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spectacles  ever 
seen.  The  rose-colored  lights  thrown  on  the  French  booth, 
the  blue  on  the  Homer,  the  green  on  the  Lytton  pro- 
duced a  most  marvelous  effect.  On  the  grand  stage  four 
booths  participated,  the  members  of  each  having  the 
advantage  of  thoroughly  rehearsing  their  tableaux  in  their 
own  booths  before  appearing.  The  result  was  a  splendid 
triumph  for  them  all.  "The  Child's  Dream  of  Fairyland," 
by  the  Jacob  Grimm  booth,  was  a  delicately  conceived 
tableau.  The  quick  changing  of  the  beautiful  representa- 
tion of  "Peg  Woffington,"  which  might  properly  be  termed 
a  pantomimic  representation  of  a  drama,  was  efficiently 
executed,  the  characters  all  entering  into  the  spirit,  to  the 
delight  of  the  interested  spectators.  The  Alhambra  booth, 
with  its  wilderness  of  eastern  magnificence,  presented 
"The  Lovers  of  Abdallah."  "The  Minuet  de  la  Coeur" 
was  danced  nightly  by  the  French  booth.  The  Carnival 
Guard,  with  their  bright  dresses,  was  one  of  the  nightly 
attractions.  The  Egyptian  and  Arabian  Nights'  booth  pre- 
sented a  scene  from  the  "Forty  Thieves."  The  closing 
tableau  by  the  Lord  Lytton  booth  was  a  grand  success 
and  represented  scenes  from  Bulwer's  "Rienzi."  The 
groupings  and  arrangement  of  the  various  scenes  were 
exceptionally  fine  and  reflected  great  credit  upon  the  man- 
agers. After  the  grand  spectacle  on  the  main  stage,  the 
different  tableaux  were  enacted  in  the  separate  booths  to 
which  the  immense  crowds  gathered.  The  Dickens  booth, 
one  of  the  largest,  because  of  the  many  characters,  was  a 
great  attraction.  From  the  "Pecksniffs"  to  the  "Old  Curi- 
osity Shop,"  grotesque  scenes  were  many.  There  was  the 
one  in  which  grandfather  and  little  Nell  were  the  prominent 
figures,  Nell  trying  to  comfort  him  in  their  poverty. 
Quilp  enters  and  perches  himself  on  a  high  chair,  leering 
at  them.  Quilp  hops  in  at  Mrs.  Quilp's  tea  party,  she 
supposing  herself  free  to  entertain  a  few  friends  at  the 
time.  Next  in  order  was  the  meeting  of  Kit  and  Bar- 

142 


bara;  Kit's  trial  scene;  Sally  Brass  and  the  Marchioness 
discovered  eavesdropping  by  Dick  Swiveller,  and  her  pun- 
ishment. Later  the  Marchioness  and  Dick  at  card-playing, 
followed  by  Miss  Montflather's  seminary,  and  the  whole 
concluded  with  the  panic  of  twenty-five  young  ladies. 

The  Scottish  clubs  of  the  Caledonian  booth  regaled 
their  listeners  with  quaint  dancing  of  reels  and  strath- 
speys. The  Walter  Scott  booth,  with  bagpipe  accom- 
paniment, was  an  acquisition  to  the  various  representa- 
tions. The  rustic  harbor  in  the  Italian  booth  was  com- 
plete and  a  pleasant  retreat.  The  music  and  tableaux  in 
this  booth  were  worthy  of  the  immense  audience  which 
crowded  the  space  each  night.  The  Italian  poets  and 
authors  were  represented  here  and  it  was  not  at  all  un- 
usual for  Dante,  Michael  Angelo,  Petrarch  and  Boccaccio 
to  hobnob  over  a  glass  of  lemonade  with  a  sprightly  fairy 
from  the  Jacob  Grimm  booth  or  some  other  personage 
diametrically  opposite  in  legend  and  dress.  The  matinees 
during  the  week  were  prepared  in  many  ways  for  the 
amusement  of  the  school  children.  One  special  tableau 
from  the  Egyptian  booth  was  the  finding  of  Moses  in  the 
bulrushes.  Moses  was  played  by  a  beautiful  baby  a  few 
weeks  old,  and  the  young  people  were  ever  ready  to  crowd 
the  pavilion  to  behold  this  tableau.  There  were  many 
quaint  curiosities  exhibited  in  the  Old  Curiosity  Shop, 
loaned  by  the  owners.  It  took  much  of  my  time  to  bor- 
row and  arrange  the  articles  that  were  from  100  to  200 
years  old  and  very  rare  heirlooms.  My  aim  was  to  make 
the  shop  as  perfect  a  counterpart  of  the  original  as  was 
possible.  The  gladiatorial  sports,  enacted  by  the  100 
picked  men  of  the  Olympic  club  of  San  Francisco,  was  a 
nightly  attraction  which  brought  out  much  cheering. 

During  the  carnival  week  the  Dickens  booth  had 
several  large  groupings  and  tableaux  that  created  a  storm 
of  hilarity  and  amusement.  Mrs.  Jarley  and  her  famous 
waxworks,  Mrs.  Jarley,  Mrs.  Hodgkins  herself,  was  a 
sight  that  would  move  the  latent  risibilities  of  the  most 
morose  lago.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  give 
the  harangue  of  that  queer  old  lady,  the  unction,  the 
comical  postures  would  be  lost  on  paper.  She  was 
"sui  generis"  and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Her 
wax  figures  were  original  and  pertinent  hits  on  the  live 
issues  of  the  day.  Dr.  Tanner  created  much  applause; 
the  new  charter  13-15-14  and  a  dozen  other  topics  kept 
the  immense  audience  in  a  roar  from  beginning  to  end 
of  her  harangue  and  only  subsided  at  the  drop  of  the 
curtain.  It  would  take  too  many  chapters  to  tell  of 

143 


each  actor  and  the  nightly  performances.  The  managers 
of  the  booths  were  wide  awake  men  and  women  and 
the  participants  vied  with  each  other,  especially  when 
their  night  came  to  be  prominently  grouped  on  the  main 
stage.  Then  it  was  that  all  the  artistic  skill  was  brought 
out. 

There  were  distinguished  visitors  at  the  opening  of 
this  great  carnival.  No  less  a  person  than  President  Hayes 
and  wife  and  party  with  General  Sherman  had  prominent 
places  in  the  private  boxes.  Mr.  Hallidie  and  Manager 
Locks  escorted  the  general  and  his  party  to  the  booth 
in  the  Tintern  Abbey  where  they  partook  of  refresh- 
ments. In  the  company  were  Mr.  Burchard  Hayes,  rep- 
resentatives of  the  New  York  Herald  and  Bulletin,  the 
California  Democrat  and  the  Carnival  Record.  The 
women  in  the  company  were  the  Misses  Hayes,  Elliott, 
Raymond  and  Miss  Nellie  Smedberry.  They  had  the 
highest  praise  for  the  carnival.  Mrs.  Hayes  said  that 
it  was  far  better  than  anything  she  had  ever  seen  in 
the  East;  that  it  far  eclipsed  her  anticipation  and  that  it 
was  sweet  to  see  so  many  men  and  women  and  children 
busying  themselves  for  charity's  sake.  At  the  Floral 
Temple  the  guests  were  presented  with  floral  offerings. 
They  closed  their  visit  with  partaking  of  tea  in  the 
International  Tea  garden  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Dr. 
Wanzer  and  waited  upon  by  Mrs.  Phoebe  I.  Davis  in 
a  becoming  Welch  costume.  Before  going,  General  Sher- 
man sent  an  orderly  to  Camp  Sherman,  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  Carnival  Guard,  with  his  regards,  and  regrets 
that  the  stay  was  so  short.  The  dignitaries  of  the  state 
and  city  were  prominent  visitors  during  this  season  of 
merriment.  Not  an  evening  but  some  prominent  visitors 
attended.  Mr.  Joseph  Redding  and  his  fellow  workers, 
and  Mr.  Charles  Crocker,  the  treasurer,  had  a  busy  time 
handling  the  receipts.  The  first  two  nights  and  after- 
noons the  receipts  were  $20,820.20,  and  daily  increasing. 
The  undertaking  was  an  unbounded  success  from  the 
start.  I  do  not  remember  the  full  amount  but  I  know  it 
came  beyond  the  expectations  of  the  management.  Many 
unfortunate  men  and  women  and  children  were  made 
happy  and  comfortable  by  the  generosity  of  the  people  of 
San  Francisco  and  other  cities  over  the  land  who  visited 
us  there  and  enjoyed  the  grand  spectacle  and  praised  the 
ability  of  our  people  to  inaugurate  and  successfully  carry 
out  such  a  laudable  enterprise. 


144 


Etelka  Gerster  Mme.  Bowers  Julie  Rive-King 

ASSOCIATED  FRIENDS  OF  MRS.  BLAKE-ALVERSON 


CHAPTER  SIXTEEN 


VACATION  EPISODES  AT  DEER  PARK,  JULY  4,   1893 

EGINNING  with  June,  1893,  I  spent  a  three 
months'  vacation  at  Deer  Park  Inn,  six  miles 
from  Lake  Tahoe,  a  lovely  spot  between  high 
mountains  owned  by  Mr.  Scott.  At  that  time 
he  wanted  an  entertainer  for  his  guests.  I 
needed  a  rest  from  my  church  and  teaching  duties  and 
a  change  to  the  high  mountain  air  from  the  coast  fogs 
and  winds.  I  spent  June  visiting  the  people  whose 
addresses  were  sent  me  by  Mr.  Scott  and  in  a  short 
time  I  had  about  thirty-five  of  Oakland's  prominent 
people  as  my  guests  during  my  stay  at  the  springs.  On 
a  beautiful  June  afternoon  the  coach  stopped  before  the 
inn  after  a  most  delightful  ride  in  an  open  coach.  Shortly 
after  our  arrival  the  night  shut  off  the  sight  of  the 
beautiful  scene.  After  dinner  an  hour  or  two  was  spent 
with  my  new-found  host  and  hostess.  After  a  refreshing 
sleep  I  arose  early  and  standing  on  the  wide  veranda  I 
had  an  opportunity  to  see  for  the  first  time  the  magnifi- 
cent spectacle  before  me.  I  thought  truly  "the  groves 
were  God's  first  temples"  as  I  beheld  the  high  mountains, 
covered  with  pines  and  chaparral,  the  sparkling 
waterfalls  dashing  down  the  mountain  side;  the  cottages 
here  and  there  on  the  level  parts  of  the  rocky  steeps; 
the  long  building  for  the  dining  hall;  the  laundry  build- 
ing, and  below  the  dam,  the  row  of  white  buildings  and 
corrals  for  the  cows  and  horses  connected  with  the 
dairy  conducted  by  Mr.  Scott. 

I  was  quartered  in  a  section  of  the  hotel  which  con- 
tained sixteen  rooms,  a  reception  parlor  and  an  office. 
All  those  who  came  were  received  by  me  and  their 
names  registered  and  places  assigned  them  in  the  hotel, 
the  cottages  or  tents,  as  they  desired.  In  the  evening  I 
was  expected  to  have  entertainment  of  some  kind  for  the 
guests  who  assembled  in  the  parlors  after  dinner.  I  was 
rather  put  to  my  wits'  end  to  see  how  I  was  to  please 
all  these  people  with  nothing  at  hand  to  aid  me.  It  was 
a  new  departure  as  well  as  a  problem.  By  the  evening 

145 


coach  I  sent  a  letter  to  Kohler  &  Chase  with  this  mes- 
sage, "Send  me  a  Fisher  right  away  C.  O.  D."  Now 
with  the  piano  assured  and  with  the  aid  of  the  guests 
who  were  to  arrive  we  should  not  fail  for  music  at 
least.  A  log  cabin  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  complete 
except  for  the  roof,  was  large  enough  to  accommodate 
a  hundred  or  more  guests.  On  one  end  was  a  high 
fireplace  and  mantel,  there  were  old  fashioned  chairs  and 
rockers,  tables  were  placed  there  for  the  card  players, 
settees  along  the  sides,  and  across  the  corner  between 
two  windows  was  a  place  for  the  piano.  After  I  was 
informed  that  I  was  to  have  charge  of  this  place  of 
amusement  I  soon  had  willing  hands  to  aid  me  and  by 
the  time  the  guests  began  to  arrive  all  was  in  readiness. 
I  had  brought  along  some  of  my  Old  Folks  concert 
costumes  and  books  and  other  things  to  help  me  out. 
Among  the  first  arrivals  was  Mrs.  Wasley  of  Oakland. 
I  had  known  her  before  I  enlisted  her  services  as  pianist. 
She  could  also  sing  so  she  was  doubly  useful. 

It  was  decided  that  on  the  Fourth  of  July  there  should 
be  a  dedication  of  the  log  cabin  and  a  patriotic  programme. 
I  was  most  fortunate  in  having  as  guests  Mr.  W.  S. 
Goodfellow's  family  and  their  guest,  Mrs.  Amsden.  A 
more  fortunate  addition  could  not  have  been  desired. 
After  my  friends  had  rested  from  the  journey  I  unfolded 
my  plan  and  their  assistance  was  readily  given.  We  had 
also  as  guests  Col.  Sumner  and  wife,  Bvt.  Col.  Parnell 
and  family,  Mr.  Geo.  Metcalf  and  two  sons,  Mr.  Johnson 
from  Sacramento,  son  of  Grove  L.  Johnson,  and  mem- 
bers from  a  number  of  San  Francisco's  prominent  fami- 
lies. On  Saturday  night  there  were  many  notables  from 
Sacramento,  educators  and  others.  I  was  in  the  highest 
state  of  enthusiasm  for  my  Fourth  of  July  oration  was 
to  come  from  Col.  Parnell,  the  only  survivor  of  the 
battle  of  Balaklava.  Col.  Sumner  was  master  of  cere- 
monies. A  prominent  teacher  from  San  Francisco  drilled 
all  the  children  of  the  guests.  Not  one  was  omitted 
who  could  add  an  acceptable  number  to  our  already 
excellent  program.  Even  our  estimable  housekeeper,  Sarah 
Markwart,  proved  herself  quite  a  poet,  besides  surprising 
the  great  number  of  guests  and  strangers  with  a  deli- 
cious repast  of  cake  and  cream  after  the  exercises  were 
over.  The  dining  hall  was  decorated  with  evergreens, 
flags  and  wild  flowers.  On  each  table  was  a  delicious 
cake,  graced  with  the  American  flag,  and  patriotic  em- 
blems were  upon  the  napkins.  With  all  her  labor  she 
found  time  to  contribute  her  offering  and  wrote  Lines  upon 

146 


the  Racket,  as  she  called  it,  and  when  the  guests  were  all 
seated  the  verses  were  read  by  one  of  the  teachers : 

"LINES  UPON  THE  RACKET" 

High  up  in  the  snow-capped  Sierras, 

Not  far  from  Tahoe's  beautiful  sheet, 
Nestling  amid  the  firs  and  pines, 

Is  a  beautiful  summer  retreat. 

There  is  where  tired  mortals  go 

To  rest  their  brains  and  weary  bones, 
Forgetting  about  the  busy  world, 

Contented  to  be  perfect  drones. 

Enjoying  the  beautiful  sunshiny  days, 
And  breathing  the  purest  of  mountain  air; 

For  the  time  caring  for  naught 
And  saying  with  the  poet,  Begone,  dull  care. 

But  as  mortals  cannot  live  on  sunshine  and  air, 
In  that  beautiful  canon  near  the  foaming  stream, 

Stands  the  famous  Deer  Park  Inn, 
Midst  forest  trees  forever  green. 

There   the   most  epicurean  can   find 

Food  the  envy  of  a  king; 
Nowhere  such  trout  in  all  the  world 

And  cooked  as  nice  as  anything. 

Dear  host  and  hostess,  may  they  live  long; 

Health  and  happiness  may  they  never  lack; 
And  when  they  retire  from  their  rural  home, 

May  they  carry  with  them  a  well-filled  "sack." 

For  none  so  watchful  could  be  on  earth, 

To  please  and  satisfy  each  guest, 
As  they  have  proved  to  be  to  all ; 

Their  fame  will  extend  from  East  to  West. 

There's  another  one  must  not  be  forgotten, 
The  life  of  the  camp,  full  of  laughter  and  song; 

Kind  words  and  smiles   for  every  one, 
Happy  may  be  her  life  and  long, 

For  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  and  her  song. 

The  dear  Log  Cabin  on  the  hill, 

With  its   huge  fireplace  and  cheery  fire, 
Where  met  each  eve  both  old  and  young, 

Mother  and  daughter,  son  and  sire, 

To  hear  the  piano's  tuneful  notes 

And   raise  their   voices   loud   in   song; 
To  "trip  the  light  fantastic  toe" 

And  strive  the  pleasures  to  prolong. 

147 


Where  could  you  find  such  beautiful  girls, 

Such  as  the  poet  always  sings, 
Gentle  and  kind,  courteous  and  mild, 
We  pronounce  them  angels,  all  but  the  wings. 

We  regretfully  leave   such  glorious   scenes; 

But  as  all  things  must  come  to  an  end, 
We  part  for  the  time  with  reminiscences  sweet, 

Resolving  here  next  summer  to  spend. 

When  at  last  we  all  arrive  at  St.  Peter's  Gate 

In  the  Sweet  bye  and  bye, 
And  when  he  calls  the  heavenly  roll 

May  he  not  pass  us  by. 

These  lines  caused  much  merriment  and  were  heartily 
applauded.  I  wish  to  pay  tribute  here  to  a  most  noble 
woman  who,  left  with  three  sons,  was  happily  doing  her 
best.  She  was  a  fine  cook  and  housekeeper  in  her  own 
home  and  each  summer  for  three  months  she  came  to 
cook  at  the  inn.  I  never  ate  finer  meals.  There  were 
Tahoe  trout  every  day  that  would  fill  an  epicure's  heart 
with  delight,  and  venison,  hot  rolls,  muffins  and  waffles, 
cake,  puddings  and  creams  all  splendidly  prepared.  We  all 
knew  with  what  art  Sarah  prepared  the  food,  but  we  were 
not  prepared  to  get  in  our  menu,  Lines  on  the  Racket, 
which  made  a  great  hit. 

The  services  began  at  two  o'clock  and  consisted  of 
opening  remarks  of  welcome  by  Col.  Sumner,  piano  num- 
ber of  patriotic  airs  by  Mrs.  Amsden,  America  by  the 
guests  assembled,  patriotic  exercises  by  the  children  of 
the  guests  drilled  by  one  of  the  teachers,  and  the  oration 
by  Col.  Parnell,  which  was  in  part  as  follows: 

"Men  whose  lives  are  spent  in  the  military  or  naval 
service  of  their  country  are  not,  as  a  rule,  accustomed 
to  public  speaking.  It  is  actions,  not  words  that  are 
demanded  of  them,  those  actions,  properly  conducted 
and  carried  out  being  the  safety  and  security  of  the 
nation. 

"When  I  perceive  that  many  of  those  assembled 
here  to  do  honor  to  the  day  we  celebrate  (away  up 
in  this  quiet  and  delightful  mountain  retreat — the  Switz- 
erland of  America,  free  from  the  noise,  turmoil  and 
fog  of  the  city)  are  prominent  educators  of  the  nation's 
children,  I  find  my  embarrassment  increased  lest  a  mis- 
applied word,  or  misplaced  verb  might  cause  my  ever- 
lasting disgrace ;  for  above  all  people  whom  I  honor 
and  whose  respect  and  esteem  I  appreciate,  it  is  those 
devoted  men  and  women  who  give  their  time  and  their 
talents  to  the  education  of  the  young;  and  to  whose  care, 

148 


(The  fireplace  and  the  cabin  are  frcm  paintings  in  oil  by  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson) 

Col.  Richard  Parnell 
In  1893  the  Only  Survivor  of  the  Battle  of  Balaklava 

DEER  PARK  CABIN,  LAKE  TAHOE 

Dedicated  July  4,    1893 


fathers  and  mothers,  in  unstinted  confidence,  are  willing 
to  entrust  their  loved  ones  in  preparing  them  for  the 
battle  of  life. 

"When  our  republic  was  formed,  the  wisdom  of  its 
founders  manifested  itself  in  many  ways.  One  in  par- 
ticular strikes  us  very  forcibly  in  contrast  with  our 
sister  republics  in  Europe  and  even  on  this  continent. 
We  have  no  legacy  of  royalty,  no  legacy  of  hereditary 
or  titled  aristocracy  that  forever  menace,  and  threaten 
the  peace  and  stability  of  other  republics;  the  highest 
office  in  the  gift  of  the  people  becomes  the  servant  of 
the  people,  hence  we  have  the  stability  of  a  government 
founded  by  the  people,  of  the  people,  and  for  the  people, 
and  although  some  thirty  odd  years  ago  the  aristocracy 
of  Europe  tried  hard  to  destroy  our  republic,  we  are 
today  stronger  than  ever,  a  united  country  of  sixty-five 
millions  of  people,  whose  stalwart  yoemen  from  Maine 
to  Oregon  and  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  are  ready 
and  willing  to  take  the  field  at  a  moment's  warning, 
against  any  foreign  enemy  whose  temerity  might  prompt 
them  to  attack  Old  Glory. 

"I  speak  advisedly  when  I  say  this  for  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  was  not  confined,  strictly  speaking,  to  the  people 
of  the  north  and  the  people  of  the  south  alone;  the 
people  of  the  north  were  fighting,  not  only  to  maintain 
the  unity  and  integrity  of  the  United  States,  but,  much 
like  the  war  of  the  revolution,  they  had  to  contend  against 
foreign  foes  in  the  moral  and  substantial  aid  given  by 
France  and  England  to  the  south  in  its  strenuous  efforts 
to  disrupt  the  unity  of  the  country  founded  by  our 
forefathers,  they  (of  the  north)  were  contending  against 
the  intrigue  of  the  emperor  of  the  French,  whose  hostile 
armies  had  invaded  the  soil  of  our  sister  republic  south 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a 
monarchy  in  that  country,  and  blighting  it  with  the  titled 
and  depraved  aristocracy  of  the  French  empire,  as  it 
then  existed. 

"We  have  ample  proof  to  warrant  the  statement,  that 
had  the  south  been  successful  in  establishing  a  separate 
form  of  government,  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  French 
emperor  to  seize  Louisiana,  Texas  and  New  Mexico,  and 
together  with  the  aristocracy  of  England,  to  destroy  the 
so-called  Southern  Confederacy  and  thus,  at  one  swoop, 
wipe  out  a  nation  they  were  ostensibly  trying  to  establish; 
for  under  the  contingent  conditions  mentioned,  England's 
policy  was  to  seize  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  other 
southern  states  bordering  on  the  Atlantic.  To  the  ever- 

149 


lasting  credit  of  the  masses  of  the  English  and  the  French 
people  be  it  said,  that  they  had  not  part  in,  or  sympathy 
with,  the  efforts  of  the  few  political  demagogues  of  the 
nations  mentioned  in  their  efforts  to  aid  in  the  destruction 
of  this  beautiful  country  of  ours,  the  most  free  and 
independent  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

"My  friends,  from  the  very  earliest  period  of  Ameri- 
can history  the  log  cabin  has  been  the  cradle  of  our 
greatest  men.  Lincoln,  Grant  and  a  host  of  others  began 
life  in  a  log  cabin.  Our  churches  and  our  school 
houses,  the  bulwarks  of  our  nation's  strength  and  great- 
ness, began  to  shoot  out  their  branches  of  education  from 
the  'little  old  log  cabin.'  The  magnitude  of  this  great 
country  is  like  the  rough  gem  in  the  hands  of  the 
lapidary.  He  takes  r.o  credit  for  its  possession,  but  he 
does  take  credit  for  what  skill  he  may  exercise  in  making 
it  beautiful  and  more  valuable.  So  with  the  American 
people,  it  is  left  to  them  to  so  exercise  their  skill, 
mentally  and  physically,  in  improving  and  beautifying  the 
gem  that  has  so  generously  been  bestowed  upon  them  by 
the  Great  Creator,  that  its  lustre  and  brilliancy  may  shed 
its  light  of  freedom  and  intelligence  over  every  quarter 
of  the  globe. 

"Out  here  in  California  the  pioneers  work  has  only 
commenced,  thanks  to  the  patient,  enduring,  uncomplain- 
ing and  vigorous  work  of  our  little  army,  the  way  has 
been  cleared  of  the  relentless  foe  of  the  white  man,  bar- 
barism lies  buried  beneath  the  blood-stained  graves  of 
many  a  brave  heart  that  wore  the  honored  blue  of 
Uncle  Sam's  (pioneer)  soldiers,  then  follows  the  sturdy 
citizen  pioneer,  as  exemplified  here  today,  where  our 
worthy  host  and  hostess  have  so  successfully  improved 
and  beautified  this  rough  gem  of  the  Sierras  following 
out  the  traditions  of  the  American  nation,  by  the  erec- 
tion of  that  particular  mark  of  American  thrift  and 
enterprise,  this  little  log  cabin  that  crowns  the  'Acropolis' 
and  in  which  today  we  joyfully  celebrate  the  nativity  of 
our  republic." 

The  oration  was  followed  with  Vive  1'America, 
sung  by  the  writer,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  W.  S.  Good- 
fellow.  Dedication  of  the  cabin  followed.  The  whole 
performance  closed  with  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  sung 
by  the  writer,  the  guests  all  joining  in  the  chorus.  After 
the  ceremony  we  adjourned  to  the  dining  hall.  By  the 
time  the  banquet  was  over  night  was  approaching  and 
shortly  after  the  evening  exercises  began.  The  young 
men  had  cut  down  a  pine  tree  and  split  the  logs.  The 

150 


boys  and  girls  had  gathered  sacks  of  pine  cones,  stacking 
these  pine  sticks  over  the  cones,  and  it  looked  as  though 
we  were  making  a  defense.  All  the  guests  were  assembled 
on  the  porches  of  their  cabins  and  at  the  log  cabin  and 
as  soon  as  darkness  came  these  cones  were  lighted  and 
fire  crackers,  pin  wheels,  rockets  and  red  light  flashed 
forth,  a  never-to-be-forgotten  sight  of  lights  and  shadows. 
The  tall  pines  rose  in  the  background  like  dark  sentinels 
guarding  the  happy  spirits  in  their  nightly  revels.  It 
was  after  ten  o'clock  when  the  last  shower  of  rockets 
went  up  and  lighted  the  heavens  with  the  beautiful  gold 
and  silver  showers,  a  befitting  close  for  such  an  eventful 
day  of  enjoyment. 


151 


CHAPTER  SEVENTEEN 


IN  OAKLAND.     SAD  ACCIDENT.     BRUSH  AND 
KIND  FRIENDS. 


N  THE  first  part  of  May  my  son,  William, 
moved  from  Alameda  to  Oakland  and  I  left 
the  Thirteenth  street  home  and  joined  his 
family  at  324  Tenth  street,  in  one  of  the  Tutt 
flats.  We  had  hardly  got  settled  when  in 
September  my  son  was  stricken  with  typhoid  fever.  He 
was  taken  to  the  sanitarium.  I  was  obliged  to  move  to 
212  Eleventh  street  and  begin  anew  my  music  and 
art.  I  remained  there  two  years  and  over.  I  then 
moved  to  116  Eleventh  street  where  I  found  an  ideal 
studio  in  the  Abbott  residence.  There  I  remained  until 
the  earthquake,  after  which  I  moved  to  my  present  abode. 
This  was  on  October  1,  1907.  From  1903  I  continued  my 
voice  teaching  and  have  been  successfully  teaching  in 
Oakland  since.  Since  my  affliction  I  have  sung  on  sev- 
eral special  occasions,  twice  on  July  Fourth  and  also  for 
the  G.  A.  R.  I  will  sing  for  them  as  long  as  I  can  sing 
acceptably,  and  as  long  as  I  am  able  to  sing  they  will 
have  me.  We  have  grown  old  together  and  I  suppose  no 
Daughter  of  the  Regiment  has  ever  been  so  loyally  loved 
as  I  have  been  all  these  years.  No  joyful  occasion  is 
complete  until  I  have  been  bidden.  I  have  been  invited  to 
the  Memorial  Day  exercises,  installations,  banquets, 
socials  and  yearly  gatherings.  I  began  when  they  marched 
away  in  1861  and  our  concerts  were  many  to  supply  the 
things  they  needed,  when  disaster  overtook  them,  when 
they  returned  wounded.  We  visited  the  hospitals,  buried 
the  dead  and  brought  comfort  to  the  widow  and  orphan. 
My  duty  and  loyalty  is  not  finished  until  I  have  done 
what  I  can  for  every  brave  comrade  that  shouldered 
the  gun  and  marched  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  of 
the  U.  S.  A. 

In  1902  I  greeted  the  new  year  sitting  in  an  invalid's 
chair.  On  September  1  of  the  preceding  year  I  sustained 
a  compound  fracture  of  the  hip  and  thigh  bone  through 
the  inattention  of  a  conductor  on  a  San  Pablo  avenue  car, 
who  started  the  car  before  I  had  time  to  get  off.  For 

152 


four  months  I  passed  through  the  different  phases  of  such 
an  accident.  My  attending  physician,  Dr.  J.  M.  Shannon, 
and  my  faithful  nurses  at  last  brought  me  to  a  point 
where  I  was  enabled  to  begin  life  again.  Only  those 
who  go  through  such  an  experience  are  able  to  under- 
stand what  it  means  to  lose  the  use  of  any  part  of  the 
body  and  be  disabled  after  many  years  of  perfect  health. 
To  be  deprived  of  my  ability  to  walk  and  the  use  of  my 
body  as  of  old,  words  are  not  adequate  to  describe  the 
dreadful  change,  knowing  that  in  all  the  coming  years  of 
my  life  I  would  have  this  burden.  The  stoutest  heart 
could  not  but  feel  the  weight  of  such  an  affliction.  Had 
it  not  been  for  my  hopeful  disposition,  my  pluck  and 
energy  to  overcome  obstacles,  combined  with  clear  reason- 
ing, life  would  have  looked  drear  enough.  With  it  all  I 
had  much  to  be  grateful  for.  Such  an  outpouring  of 
Christ-like  humanity!  I,  the  recipient  of  all  this  unex- 
pected and  spontaneous  expression  of  benevolence  from 
friends  and  strangers  alike.  I  never  knew  before  the 
part  I  had  taken  in  the  community.  Having  lived  and 
sung  for  over  sixty  years  I  found  I  had  made  friends 
unnumbered.  Friends  and  people  whom  I  never  knew 
called  or  wrote  their  heartfelt  sorrow  for  my  affliction 
and  hoped  my  injuries  were  not  as  serious  as  reported. 
The  ladies  of  the  Ebell  and  other  clubs  and  societies 
made  daily  inquiries  after  my  condition  and  sent  many 
tokens  of  kindness  to  me  during  all  those  weary  weeks 
of  pain  and  uncertainty. 

I  was  deeply  affected  one  morning  of  the  first  week 
of  my  accident.  My  nurse  was  summoned  to  the  door 
by  the  ringing  of  the  bell  and  on  opening  the  door 
before  her  stood  five  of  Oakland's  first  citizens  and  one 
of  them  inquired,  "How  is  the  afflicted  singer  this  morn- 
ing?" Whereupon  the  nurse  assured  them  that  I  was 
doing  very  well.  They  received  the  news  with  evident 
delight.  When  they  turned  to  leave  she  asked,  "Whom 
shall  I  say  called?"  "Oh,  just  say  her  friends  who  pass 
in  the  morning."  Who  would  not  justly  feel  grateful 
for  such  deep  respect  and  appreciation  from  neighbors 
and  strangers?  In  sweeping  my  doorsteps  and  sidewalk 
and  attending  to  the  lawn  and  flower  beds  before  my 
studio  to  make  the  home  look  bright  and  cheerful  I 
often  saw  gentlemen  pass  early  in  the  morning  going 
to  the  city.  But  I  never  dreamed  that  while  I  was 
getting  things  in  order  for  the  day,  arising  early  so  as 
to  escape  notice  at  my  rough  work,  that  I  had  any  part 
in  their  attention  as  they  were  men  of  business.  But  it 

153 


is  evident  that  they  saw  who  the  spirit  was  among  the 
blossoms  although  I  never  dreamed  that  I  was  observed. 
Following  that  first  morning  these  five  gentlemen  called 
often  to  inquire  into  my  condition. 

It  had  been  my  habit  to  keep  a  diary  of  facts  and 
engagements  since  the  year  1870  and  later  on  when  I 
began  teaching  vocal  music  and  filling  engagements  I 
was  obliged  to  keep  a  strict  account  of  my  transactions 
so  as  to  be  upright  and  strict  in  my  dealings  with  the 
community.  Since  undertaking  the  work  of  writing  my 
memoirs  I  find  I  have  more  than  enough  for  three  good 
sized  volumes  of  interesting  history  and  life-experiences 
that  come  to  those  who  are  forced  by  circumstances 
unlocked  for  to  pass  through  such  a  checkered  career  as 
mine.  If  it  were  possible  to  tell  it  all,  perhaps  it  might 
be  an  incentive  for  other  women  left  alone  as  I  was,  to 
do  likewise.  It  might  be  a  stepping  stone  for  a  greater 
effort  in  life  and  receive  the  plaudits  of  "Well  done !" 
from  those  who  have  felt  your  influence  and  respected  a 
noble  and  self-sustaining  woman.  What  more  could 
anyone  ask?  This  great  outpouring  of  tender  solicitude, 
sympathy  and  charity  toward  me  in  my  great  calamity, 
shall  always  be  an  oasis  in  the  wide  desert  of  life  that 
will  make  me  return  in  my  memory  as  long  as  life  shall 
last,  and  rest  and  be  refreshed,  feeling  it  was  God's  way 
to  find  the  bread  that  had  been  cast  upon  the  waters 
through  the  years  of  my  active  life  in  every  city  where  I 
have  ever  lived.  To  all  who  were  thus  kind  I  have  built  a 
lasting  monument  of  gratitude  that  will  not  crumble  in 
the  years  yet  remaining  in  my  life.  I  feel  I  must  make 
some  acknowledgment  to  all  for  these  acts  of  kindness 
toward  me  in  my  distress,  which  was  so  unnecessarily 
brought  upon  me,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  by  careless  inatten- 
tion of  an  unknown  conductor. 

This  accident  closed  the  usefulness  of  an  energetic  life. 
For  sixty  years  I  had  been  active  in  many  lines  of  en- 
deavor such  as  drawing,  writing,  painting,  sewing  and 
singing.  The  whole  year  of  1902  I  was  convalescing  and 
trying  to  regain  my  strength  and  learning  to  walk. 
It  was  slow  work.  The  expenses  were  going  on  and 
I  could  not  be  without  a  nurse.  I  was  unable  to 
teach  the  pupils  that  I  had  before  the  accident.  In 
my  planning  I  decided  to  paint  and  etch  on  linen.  "I 
can  make  pretty  cards  of  all  kinds,  why  not  do  something 
like  this,  try  at  any  rate.  It  will  help  me  pass  the  time 
and  I'll  be  happy  in  doing  this."  So  my  dear  nurse 
listened  to  my  plan  and  we  got  everything  in  readiness 

154 


for  business.  There  was  never  a  day  without  some  call- 
ers. I  hunted  my  art  books  for  all  kinds  of  favors, 
birthday  favors,  engagement  cards,  club  cards  for  whist, 
etc.,  and  in  a  short  time  I  had  a  fine  collection  to  suit 
the  most  fastidious  society  dame.  The  first  one  who  got 
a  glimpse  of  the  pretty  things  was  the  dear  Mrs.  Robert 
Watt,  a  life-long  friend  who  had  been  unceasing  in  her 
kindness  from  the  first  day  of  the  accident.  When  she 
beheld  all  that  I  had  accomplished  she  was  amazed  at  my 
ability  and  the  pluck  shown  by  my  making  these  dainty 
articles  with  pen  and  brush  while  sitting  in  bed.  She 
immediately  made  her  selections  to  the  amount  of  twelve 
dollars'  worth  and  ordered  as  much  more.  It  was  soon 
noised  about  and  I  had  no  lack  for  orders.  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Goodfellow,  Mrs.  William  Angus,  Mrs.  John  Valentine 
and  the  prominent  ladies  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent, 
pupils  and  their  parents  came  and  ordered  various  cards 
and  linen  etchings.  The  Woman's  Exchange  sent  me  word 
to  place  articles  on  sale  there  which  they  would  dispose  of 
for  me.  For  this  kind  act  I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Helen 
Weidersheim  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Gruenhagen,  who  had 
informed  the  ladies  of  the  Exchange  of  the  dainty  work 
I  had  done.  By  these  acts  of  kindness  I  was  enabled 
to  keep  my  nurse  and  obtain  the  necessary  comforts  of 
the  sick  room.  Miss  Pauline  Peterson,  Mrs.  Henry  Weth- 
erbee,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Melvin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Goodfellow,  Mrs.  Derby  and  family,  Mrs  Charles  Farn- 
ham,  Mrs.  C.  Webb  Howard,  Mrs.  Charles  Lloyd,  Mrs. 
Charles  Kellogg  and  family,  Mrs.  F'olger,  Mrs.  Mauvais, 
Mr.  John  Britton,  Thomas  Magee,  Miss  Elizabeth  English, 
Calvary  Church  friends,  C.  O.  G.  Millar,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Gushing  were  friends  indeed.  It  seems  they  had 
me  upon  their  minds  constantly.  If  I  had  been  a  relative 
more  affectionate  attention  could  not  have  been  bestowed. 
Besides  these  good  friends  there  were  others  who  came 
to  cheer  me  and  from  whom  I  received  many  offices  of 
kindness  that  were  touching  and  fully  appreciated.  No 
one  came  to  see  me  from  the  first  day  whose  names  were 
not  recorded  and  kept  sacred  by  me  until  now.  It  were 
not  possible  to  write  all  the  names.  I  have  not  the 
space  allowed  by  the  printer  for  I  have  many  important 
facts  still  to  tell. 

From  September  1,  1901,  to  December  31,  1901,  I 
received  1,666  calls  from  friends  and  strangers  alike, 
young  and  old,  and  not  one  came  empty  handed.  My 
rooms  were  redolent  with  the  odor  of  floral  tributes  that 
were  constantly  supplied  by  some  kind  friend  or  stranger. 

155 


I  cannot  pass  over  an  episode  that  occurred  March  29, 
1902.  I  had  passed  a  restless  day  and  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  Mrs.  James  Melvin  came  in  and  brought 
an  offering  of  fruit  from  her  father's  ranch.  During 
our  conversation  she  thought  I  looked  tired  and  I  told 
her  I  was.  I  tried  to  sit  up  and  I  could  not  find  a 
chair  that  suited,  although  I  had  several  sent  from  the 
stores.  I  saw  she  was  distressed  about  it  but  said 
nothing  more  and  went  home.  About  nine  o'clock  of 
the  same  evening  the  bell  rang.  I  had  already 
retired.  Soon  I  heard  voices  and  in  a  few  moments  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Melvin  stood  before  me,  smiling,  and  between 
them  was  a  fine  bamboo  chair.  After  Mr.  Melvin  came 
home  from  the  city  and  while  they  were  at  dinner,  Mrs. 
Melvin  had  told  him  of  my  trouble  in  obtaining  the 
proper  chair.  They  lived  on  Grove  and  Nineteenth 
streets  and  I  on  Thirteenth  street  between  Webster  and 
Harrison  streets.  It  was  too  late  to  have  the  chair  sent 
and  these  two  kind-hearted  people  carried  it  all  that 
distance  to  my  studio,  and  there  it  was  for  me  to  use. 
It  was  not  possible  for  me  to  hold  back  my  tears  at 
such  a  token  of  sympathy  and  affection.  I'll  never  forget 
how  dear  they  looked,  like  two  happy  children  bringing 
a  favorite  toy  to  the  sick  child  in  the  fairy  stories  we  all 
know  and  teach  to  our  children.  After  I  could  compose 
myself  I  begged  the  nurse  to  let  me  get  up  and  try  the 
new  chair  and  when  I  was  ready  the  whole-souled  James 
lifted  me  and  placed  me  in  the  chair.  Oh,  what  a  com- 
fort at  last!  I  could  sit  up  without  weariness  and  I 
was  loath  to  go  once  more  to  my  couch.  I  begged  just 
for  one  hour  more  and  I  promised  I'd  sing  for  them. 
They  looked  astonished,  not  thinking  I  could  sing.  I 
said,  "listen"  and  sang  three  verses  of  Annie  Laurie. 
When  I  got  through  there  was  not  a  sound.  They  were 
sitting  there  like  statues  and  with  tears  in  their  eyes.  I 
saw  the  situation  and  let  out  a  merry  laugh,  saying,  "Was 
it  then  so  bad  you  had  to  cry?"  They  said  the  singing 
was  so  far  away  it  was  not  like  an  earthly  voice.  Know- 
ing what  I  had  suffered  and  was  still  suffering  it  struck 
them  as  simply  miraculous  that  my  voice  was  so  pure  and 
clear  and  they  were  stilled  and  strangely  affected.  It  did 
not  seem  real  to  have  me  sing  like  that.  So  the  evening 
ended  and  we  were  all  made  happy  by  doing  what  we 
could  in  return  for  one  another's  kindness.  Mrs.  Melvin 
was  a  good  friend  and  a  generous  woman  and  I  mourn 
with  her  family  at  her  sudden  taking  away  which  came  as 
a  shock  to  all  who  loved  her. 

156 


In   1852 
In  1 905 


In  1874 


In  1864 
In  1880 


MRS.   MARGARET   BLAKE-ALVERSON 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEEN 


PARTY  AT  DR.  J.  M.  SHANNON^  HOME  IN    1907 


INCE  my  accident  I  have  not  been  able  to  go 
much  in  the  outer  world  because  of  my  inabil- 
ity to  walk  or  ride  in  the  street  cars.  But  I 
spent  an  evening  in  the  year  1907  that  I  think 
will  be  worth  the  telling. 

Persons  who  think  and  study  a  great  deal  need  an 
occasional  respite  from  the  drive  of  daily  labor.  So 
thought  fourteen  of  our  Oakland  doctors  who  agreed  to 
meet  once  a  month,  talk  over  important  cases,  read  short 
papers  on  special  topics  and  enjoy  a  social  time  at  the 
banquet  table.  Dr.  J.  M.  Shannon,  my  family  physician, 
was  included  in  the  membership,  and  it  was  his  turn  to 
entertain  the  guests  at  his  home  in  East  Oakland.  During 
my  convalescence  I  had  promised  to  do  him  a  favor  any 
time  for  his  great  kindness  to  me  in  my  long  sickness, 
and  my  appreciation  of  his  skillful  art  in  my  case  which 
made  it  possible  for  me  to  walk,  even  if  on  crutches. 
While  I  was  living  on  Eleventh  street,  Dr.  Shannon  came 
in  one  morning  to  ask  for  the  favor.  He  unfolded  his 
plan,  giving  me  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  club  and, 
because  I  was  so  handy  with  my  pen  and  brush,  wanted 
fourteen  place  cards  for  his  banquet  which  was  to  take 
place  in  two  weeks  at  his  home.  His  idea  was  to  have 
something  different.  The  cards  were  to  represent  the 
different  specialties  of  the  physicians,  and  I  was  some- 
what bewildered  with  the  subjects  he  gave  me.  It  was  a 
new  departure  in  art  for  me. 

I  realized  I  had  to  put  my  best  efforts  to  the  test  to 
make  a  complete  success  out  of  a  knotty  problem.  I  spent 
a  week  in  perfecting  my  sketches.  After  completing  the 
cards,  I  called  up  Dr.  Shannon  to  come  and  see  if  all  was 
to  his  satisfaction.  I  placed  the  cards  before  him  on  the 
desk  and  awaited  his  approval.  It  was  some  minutes 
before  he  spoke.  He  looked  up  and  said  quietly,  "I  guess 
I'll  have  these  doctors  surprised  this  time,"  and  he  enjoyed 
the  anticipation  of  the  fun  highly. 

157 


"Now  you  have  done  this  O.  K./'  he  said.  "I  still 
have  another  favor  to  ask.  I  want  some  music  and  I 
want  you  to  sing.  I  will  also  have  some  instrumental 
music  so  you  will  not  get  too  tired,  for  I  want  music 
every  fifteen  minutes  between  the  courses  during  the  din- 
ner. The  guests  are  not  to  know  who  the  singer  is,  and 
I  will  see  that  you  get  there  after  they  have  passed  into 
the  dining  room." 

"All  right,"  I  said,  "  the  music  will  also  be  provided, 
so  you  can  rest  assured  that  my  part  of  the  programme 
will  be  carried  out  to  your  liking  and  the  pleasure  of  your 
guests." 

I  selected  familiar  ballads  that  most  men  like  to  hear 
if  they  like  music  at  all,  and  my  accompanist,  Miss  Juliet 
Maul,  prepared  the  instrumental  part,  and  as  she  was 
also  a  good  second  soprano,  we  prepared  two  duets  that 
always  please,  and  we  had  a  programme  worthy  of  our  host. 
When  we  arrived  at  the  appointed  hour  the  dinner  was 
going  on  and,  as  we  were  given  the  signal,  Miss  Maul 
began  playing  a  bright,  pleasing,  instrumental  number, 
which  was  such  a  surprise  and  also  complete  departure 
from  the  usual  arrangement  that  all  conversation  ceased 
until  after  the  number  had  been  given,  and  then  great 
applause  came  from  the  dining  room.  At  the  stated  time 
Miss  Maul  and  I  sang,  Oh,  That  We  Two  Were  May- 
ing, which  was  highly  appreciated.  It  was  not  until  I 
had  sung  my  song,  Because  I  Love  You  Dear,  that 
they  began  to  wonder  who  the  young  lady  singer  was. 
Doctor  smiled  and  assured  them  that  they  would  find  out 
later.  He  started  them  to  guessing,  and  he  was  highly 
pleased  at  his  joke.  After  the  first  number  had  been 
played  the  folding  door  which  had  been  closed  was  quietly 
slid  back  by  a  unanimous  request.  Evidently  the  music 
was  a  genuine  surprise  and  a  happy  addition  to  the  excel- 
lent menu  they  were  enjoying.  After  having  successfully 
given  nine  numbers,  the  dinner  came  to  an  end  the 
curiosity  had  become  intense — they  wanted  to  greet  the 
singer,  so  they  started  up  the  song,  She's  a  Jolly  Good 
Fellow,  and  I  joined  in  the  chorus  when  they  had  fin- 
ished. I  did  not  appear.  In  a  few  minutes  they  began, 
So  Say  We  All  of  Us,  to  the  tune  of  America.  That 
was  too  much  for  my  patriotic  nature,  so  I  began  and 
sang  alto  until  I  had  reached  the  dining  hall  and  appeared 
in  the  doorway  with  crutch  and  came  before  the  august 
presence  of  our  doctors.  In  one  moment  they  arose  with 
glasses  in  hand,  and  one  of  the  older  members  proposed 
a  toast  to  Oakland's  sweetest  singer,  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson. 

158 


After  I  had  acknowledged  their  compliment  by  my 
bowed  head,  one  of  the  doctors  handed  me  a  glass,  and  I 
responded.  I  said,  "We  will  now  drink  to  our  doctors  of 
Oakland."  After  they  were  seated,  one  of  the  oldest 
of  the  doctors  asked  me  how  I  accounted  for  the  fact 
that  I  retained  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  the  voice  of  a 
woman  of  twenty-five.  After  my  satisfactory  answers  to 
a  number  of  important  questions,  they  informed  me  that 
I  had  done  this  evening  for  their  entertainment  and  great 
pleasure  an  act  that  had  never  been  known  in  medical 
history  before.  Those  present  voiced  the  remarks  with 
hearty  appreciation  and  continued  applause. 

The  third  surprise  of  the  evening  took  place  after  the 
doctors  had  left  the  table  and  adjourned  to  the  large  hall 
and  drawing  room.  When  they  had  all  assembled,  the 
lights  were  turned  on  and  before  them  stood  in  a  row  like 
statues  their  wives,  ready  to  be  received,  with  a  smile 
on  their  faces,  the  only  visible  indication  of  life  in 
them.  They  reminded  me  of  Mrs.  Jarley's  wax  fig- 
ures, standing  in  a  perfect  line  while  the  demonstrator 
illustrates  their  beauty  and  natural  abilities  as  "first- 
class  wax  figgers."  It  was  too  bad  the  camera  missed 
the  expression  on  the  faces  of  those  fourteen  men,  dressed 
in  full  evening  attire,  and  staring  at  the  faces  of  their 
wives,  it  seemed  to  me,  for  ten  minutes  or  more.  At  last 
one  of  them  broke  the  spell  by  quickly  stepping  over  to 
his  wife  and  calling  her  by  name.  He  kissed  her  and  said, 
"I  am  delighted  to  see  you."  The  others  followed  suit. 
The  next  half  hour  was  spent  in  telling  how  they  managed 
to  keep  the  secret,  and  to  so  arrange  matters  that  in  the 
future  the  ladies  would  be  included  in  the  select  gather- 
ings of  the  medicos.  The  next  hour  was  spent  in  listening 
to  some  clever  speeches  and  interesting  papers,  which  were 
very  amusing  and  teemed  with  jokes  and  sharp  hits  of 
sarcasm.  At  the  close  of  the  reading  I  was  once  more 
called  upon  to  repeat  some  of  the  songs  that  I  had  sung 
for  them.  We  all  gathered  in  a  spacious  music  room 
where  for  an  hour  I  sang  for  them  their  favorite  selec- 
tions, closing  with  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  in  which  ail 
who  could  joined  in  the  chorus.  Thus  ended  one  of  the 
most  delightful  evenings  spent  in  the  hospitable  home  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Shannon. 

The  members  of  the  club  who  were  present  were : 
Drs.  E.  M.  Keys,  A.  H.  Pratt,  M.  Lewis  Emerson,  A. 
Liliencrantz,  J.  M.  Shannon,  Samuel  H.  Buteau,  J.  W. 
Robertson,  E.  J.  Boyes,  O.  D.  Hamlin,  Francis  Musser, 

159 


Herbert  N.  Rowell,  Guy  Liliencrantz,  I.  Frank  Lilly  and 
Chas.  A.  Dukes. 

It  was  in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning  before  the 
last  auto  wound  its  way  down  the  spacious  drive  towards 
Oakland. 


160 


Mrs.  Margaret  C.  Pierce  Mrs.  Sarah  Watkins-Little 

Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell 
Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  Mrs.  Helen  Wetherbee 

A  GROUP  OF  FRIENDS,  DISTINGUISHED  SINGERS  IN  THE 
70's  AND  80's 


CHAPTER  NINETEEN 


LEE  TUNG  FOO 


Y  experience  in  developing  and  placing  the 
human  voice  extends  from  1882  to  1912,  thirty 
years.  During  that  time  I  have  had  a  wide 
and  varied  experience  with  men  and  women 
and  girls  and  boys  of  all  ages.  The  perfecting 
of  the  art  of  tone  production  in  each  individual  case  varies 
with  each  student.  No  two  persons  can  be  taught  the 
general  principles  of  the  art  only.  The  individual  must 
be  studied  and  the  voice  analyzed  as  a  doctor  diagnoses 
a  special  case.  Every  nation  has  also  its  peculiar  way  of 
using  the  voice  in  singing  folk  or  national  songs.  As  we 
have  in  the  bay  cities  a  cosmopolitan  population,  it  has  been 
my  opportunity  to  study  the  different  nationalities  that  have 
applied  to  me  for  private  instruction.  The  Italian  and 
Spanish  are  the  most  susceptible  students.  They  live  in  the 
realm  of  music  from  childhood.  It  is  a  part  of  their  ex- 
istence ;  they  seem  to  have  a  natural  interpretation  of  songs 
and  singing.  After  the  first  placement  of  the  voice  I  have 
had  only  to  lead  and  give  them  the  picture  of  the  work 
before  them  and  my  task  was  a  pleasant  hour  spent  in 
portraying  the  poetical  application  of  sentiment  to  their 
own  individual  understanding.  The  English,  Scotch  and 
Welch  voices  are  known  for  their  fine  tone  production, 
unusually  strong  voices,  clear,  high  and  sympathetic, 
especially  the  Welsh  female  voice.  They  sing  high, 
most  of  them,  and  clear  as  the  meadow  lark.  The  Ger- 
mans sing  with  enthusiastic  spirit  and  most  of  them  with 
Wagnerian  effect,  hearty  and  robust  in  their  chorus  sing- 
ing, a  loud  tone  quality  is  their  aim.  It  is  the  teacher's 
art  to  bring  out  and  to  modify  all  these  extreme  faults 
and  change  all  these  varied  ideas  and  different  accents 
of  speech  into  a  harmonious  blending  and  acceptable 
whole. 

I  have  been  obliged  to  reject  many  applicants  for 
varied  reasons.  I  have  always  felt  sorry  for  those  with 
good  voices  and  without  means  or  without  encouragement 
at  home.  Many  a  fine  natural  voice  has  been  lost  to 

161 


the  musical  world  by  being  ridiculed  by  the  very  ones 
who  should  have  given  a  helping  hand.  Had  these 
parents  known  what  music  has  done  for  the  world  and 
for  individual  beings  they  would  have  realized  the 
advisability  of  giving  their  children  a  musical  education. 
I  have  found  the  French  pupils  the  most  difficult  to  con- 
trol in  regard  to  the  nasal  quality  of  tone  production. 
They  use  the  nasal  cavities  universally  in  their  speech 
and  I  never  was  quite  satisfied  in  my  mind  about  the 
tone  quality.  Being  of  the  Bel  Canto  school,  aiming  for 
pure  melody  and  the  best  tone  to  be  produced  by  the 
human  voice,  I  was  never  satisfied  with  the  result  and 
yet  I  have  heard  French  artists  who  were  splendid 
singers.  But  the  tone  was  always  too  high  in  placement 
for  my  full  appreciation.  The  American  voices  were 
satisfactory  almost  without  exception.  Instability  was 
the  great  fault;  they  have  not  enough  earnest  concen- 
tration in  their  work  and  soon  discontinue  or  change 
to  other  teachers  and  many  of  them  who  started  out 
with  a  full  determination  to  be  singers  have  done  nothing 
for  themselves.  Several  of  my  pupils  were  negroes  and 
while  I  found  rare  voices  among  them  they  were  never 
in  a  financial  position  to  do  much  for  themselves.  One 
of  these  had  a  rich  contralto  voice  of  the  finest  touch 
and  was  a  fine  pianist.  Another  had  a  still  more  beauti- 
ful voice  but,  unfortunately,  her  husband  was  not  musical 
and  she  sang  little  after  her  marriage.  This  is  a  real 
tragedy. 

I  have  often  wondered  why  are  we  given  these  gifts 
and  yet  denied  the  opportunity  to  develop  them.  I 
find  the  rarest  voices  among  the  poor  and  middle  classes. 
In  relating  to  me  many  of  the  episodes  of  his  travels 
around  the  world,  my  son  told  me  of  the  children,  eight, 
nine  and  ten  years  old,  of  Italy  playing  on  the  street 
corners  the  arias  of  the  operas  on  their  violins  with 
skillful  and  artistic  fervor  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
travelers  who  visit  their  ports.  It  is  a  natural  gift, 
music  is  their  life.  There  are  few  places  in  the  civilized 
world  that  have  not  produced  singers  of  repute.  Yet  we 
have  two  nations  that  we  never  expect  to  hear  from  in 
this  respect,  for  it  is  a  known  fact  that  the  Japanese 
and  Chinese  are  wholly  unmusical.  Five  discordant  tones 
compose  their  scale,  unmusical  and  untrue  chords,  or, 
one  might  say,  discord. 

Knowing  this,  imagine  my  surprise  when  in  January 
1897,  I  received  a  call  from  several  women  of  the  Chinese 
mission.  With  Miss  Mabel  Hussy  I  had  assisted  in 

162 


giving  the  Chinese  pupils  of  the  Presbyterian  mission 
Sunday  school  an  entertainment  on  New  Year's  eve. 
I  sang  them  a  Christmas  story  of  Robin's  return,  descrip- 
tive of  the  coming  home  of  the  sailor  boy,  with  the 
picture  of  an  open  fireplace,  the  singing  of  the  children's 
carols,  the  wreaths  of  holly,  the  grandmother  at  the 
spinning  wheel,  the  mother  tearfully  placing  the  ever- 
greens on  the  wall  and  pictures,  thinking  all  the  while 
of  her  boy.  At  last  the  Christmas  bells  chimed  the  mid- 
night hour  to  be  followed  with  the  raising  of  the  latch 
and  the  happy  return  of  the  long  expected  son  with  the 
snow  upon  his  hair.  All  this  was  listened  to  with  wrapt 
surprise  as  I  carefully  articulated  the  words  so  nothing 
of  the  story  be  lost.  I  accurately  scanned  the  faces  as  I 
sang  and  I  saw  I  had  opened  a  new  world  to  them.  At 
the  close  of  the  number  I  was  roundly  applauded  by 
these  50  old  and  young  Chinese  students,  who,  well 
groomed  and  in  their  best  suits,  sat  prim  and  proper. 
I  little  thought  that  among  my  auditors  was  a  young 
man,  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  the  servant  of  Mrs. 
Zeno  Mauvais,  intently  listening  and  satisfying  his  long 
cherished  desire  to  become  a  singer.  This  boy  was  the 
first  Chinese  born  in  Watsonville,  Cal.  When  he  was 
small  his  parents  removed  to  several  smaller  towns 
near  by  but,  not  liking  any  of  them,  they  eventually 
settled  in  Ripon  and  started  a  Chinese  laundry.  Lee 
Tung  Foo,  or  Frank  Lee,  as  he  was  called,  went  to  the 
Mission  Sunday  school  and  with  the  rest  of  the  pupils 
learned  to  sing  some  of  the  Gospel  hymns  in  his  way. 
He  wanted  to  go  to  day  school  but  his  father  would 
not  consent  and  placed  him  in  one  of  the  hotel  kitchens 
to  wash  dishes.  This  did  not  suit  the  young  man  and 
after  a  short  time  he  ran  away  to  secure  an  education. 
He  managed  to  get  to  Fresno  where  he  became  cook 
and  servant  in  the  family  of  Prof.  S.  B.  Morse.  He  was 
so  well  liked  that  he  was  assisted  in  his  desire  for  an 
education  and  through  the  kindness  of  the  daughter  of 
the  house  began  piano  lessons. 

After  some  years  he  went  to  Oakland  and  was  em- 
ployed by  Mrs.  Mauvais.  Having  learned  all  of  his  notes 
he  was  able  to  read  the  Gospel  hymns  and  play  them 
on  the  piano.  Because  he  was  continually  at  the  reed 
organ  in  the  mission  the  other  boys  made  fun  of  him 
and  called  him  Crazy  Frank.  After  having  heard  me 
sing  it  occurred  to  him  that  I  was  the  very  person  to 
teach  him  and  he  importuned  Mrs.  Mauvais  to  find  me 
and  she  and  her  friends  came  to  ask  me  to  teach  this 

163 


boy  the  art  of  singing.  I  only  laughed  at  them  as  I 
was  not  particularly  fond  of  the  Chinese  and  never 
employed  them  in  any  way.  I  refused  three  times, 
explaining  that  it  was  useless  to  undertake  such  a  task. 
I  expected  nothing  more  to  come  of  it,  but  in  a  week 
I  was  asked  once  more  and  was  told  the  boy  was 
broken-hearted  with  disappointment  so  I  unwillingly  con- 
sented. I  was  obliged  to  teach  him  after  his  work  was 
done  and  some  times  he  came  as  late  as  nine  o'clock, 
tired  and  unfit  to  sing,  but  nothing  daunted,  he  was 
there. 

At  last  I  believed  that  I  might  be  able  to  achieve 
something  in  the  development  of  the  Chinese  that  would 
be  altogether  new  in  the  musical  line.  Because  I  have 
succeeded  with  "the  impossibility"  (as  he  put  it)  I  have 
placed  the  teaching  of  this  Chinese  as  one  of  my  greatest 
achievements  in  the  art  of  vocal  culture.  He  had  the 
most  indominitable  will  and  determination  to  succeed,  and 
he  was  the  most  faithful  and  conscientious  and  upright  pupil 
I  ever  taught.  It  would  require  many  pages  to  tell  of  the 
difficulties  in  his  pathway.  His  people  were  enraged  at 
me  for  leading  their  son  away  to  be  like  all  the  "white 
devils"  of  America.  I  had  to  hide  him  for  a  year. 
He  was  the  oldest  son  of  the  family  and  was  obliged 
to  marry  before  any  of  the  other  members  could  marry 
and  he  appealed  to  me  to  help  him.  Mr.  Waterman 
of  the  Berkeley  high  school  allowed  him  to  come  there 
and  the  Misses  Shaw,  teachers,  took  him  into  their 
home  where  he  did  their  work  and  went  to  school.  When 
the  year  was  over  the  way  was  once  more  clear  for 
him  to  take  up  his  music.  He  had  not  lost  anything 
as  he  had  joined  a  church  choir  and  sang  bass. 
When  the  school  closed  he  was  given  a  fine  recommenda- 
tion as  a  model  pupil  and  all  the  teachers  parted  with 
him  reluctantly. 

After  I  changed  my  studio  to  Thirteenth  street  he 
worked  for  the  family  of  Mr.  H.  Stedman  of  Alameda, 
manager  of  the  Zeno  Mauvais  music  store  and  went  to 
school  in  Alameda.  Later  he  worked  for  the  Southern 
Pacific  Company  at  Wright's  station.  This  made  another 
break  in  his  progress  for  over  a  year.  He  began  in 
earnest  when  he  returned  in  1903  and  he  steadily  forged 
ahead.  While  he  was  away  he  studied  and  pondered 
over  all  the  former  instructions  and  with  the  aid  of  .1 
pitch  pipe  he  soon  was  busy  at  his  songs  and  exercises. 
He  returned  in  1904  ill,  discouraged  to  the  breaking  point. 
After  my  accident  I  was  much  exercised  as  to  the  outcome 

164 


. 


LEE    TUNG    FOO 
Pupil  in  the  90's 


of  all  these  years  of  preparation.  He  was  ready  to 
start  out  as  a  singer  but  his  heart  failed  him  at  last 
and  he  became  disconsolate.  He  could  not  work  and 
had  no  money.  I  saw  the  situation  was  desperate  and 
took  things  into  my  own  hands.  As  a  favor  Mr.  Carlton 
of  the  Empire  Theater,  Oakland,  called  and  heard  him 
sing  October  24,  1904.  He  doubted  his  being  a  Chinese. 
I  assured  him  he  was.  "Well,  certainly  he  shows  his 
training,"  was  the  reply.  He  was  immediately  engaged. 
He  had  a  list  of  seventy-five  songs,  sacred  and  secular, 
of  which  he  could  be  proud,  and  he  sang  them  in  English, 
German  and  Latin.  For  three  months  we  had  the 
excellent  assistance  of  Director  J.  H.  Dohrmann  at  the 
piano  and  twice  a  week  we  had  a  full  rehearsal.  By 
the  time  the  engagement  was  secured  we  were  ready 
for  it.  He  opened  at  the  Empire,  January  30,  1905,  with 
unbounded  success  and  received  many  floral  tributes  from 
the  pupils  and  friends.  He  sang  a  week,  beginning  Feb- 
ruary 13,  at  the  Lyceum,  San  Francisco.  On  February 
20  he  was  engaged  by  the  Savage  Opera  Company  in 
San  Jose,  February  27  in  Sacramento  and  March  13  in 
Fresno.  He  went  to  Portland,  Oregon  on  March  30  for 
three  months  and  April  12  was  in  Astoria.  I  was  in 
constant  touch  with  him.  In  1908  he  sang  in  Brussels 
and  later  in  London  in  the  great  Coliseum  for  15,000 
people  in  aid  of  the  Typographical  Union  of  Printers  and 
Engravers.  I  received  a  letter  from  his  manager  who 
assured  me  I  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  my  singer  for  he 
was  making  good  and  had  many  friends  among  the 
theater  goers  and  managers  of  the  different  circuits. 

Before  going  abroad  Le  Tung  Foo  had  sung  in  all 
the  larger  cities  of  the  United  States.  During  all  these 
years  he  had  much  difficulty  in  his  art  and  in  addition 
had  to  do  all  his  booking  single-handed.  After  filling 
out  his  work  in  1911  he  came  to  California  for  the  first 
time  in  six  years.  He  sang  one  week  only  at  the  Empress 
theater  in  San  Francisco  and  having  an  engagement  of 
forty-four  weeks  on  the  Eastern  circuits  soon  left.  When 
they  were  completed  he  came  once  more  to  his  home  in 
the  early  part  of  1912.  After  his  week  in  Oakland  he 
sang  all  through  the  south  and  interior  and  later  in 
Oregon  and  British  Columbia,  returning  in  September  to 
fill  out  the  engagement  at  the  Empress,  then  again  go  on 
the  Eastern  circuit. 

I  have  necessarily  given  more  space  to  this  special 
pupil  and  were  it  possible  to  state  accurately  all  the  cir- 
cumstances in  his  life  you  would  all  agree  with  me  that 

165 


he  deserved  credit  and  recognition  in  a  musical  way 
and  proved  himself  a  hero  during  the  years  he  was 
perfecting  himself.  He  has  never  had  any  other  instruc- 
tion than  mine  and  has  been  true  to  the  first  place- 
ment of  voice  and  development  in  the  art  of  sing- 
ing. He  goes  to  hear  the  best  artists  and  takes  his 
lessons  from  their  work;  sends  his  criticisms  of  them 
all  marked  upon  the  program  to  me  for  approval;  keeps 
his  ears  and  eyes  open  to  all  advancement  in  his  art ; 
has  acquired  a  graceful  and  acceptable  presence  and 
personality  on  and  off  the  stage.  Musicians  all  like  him ; 
his  managers  praise  him  and  give  him  work  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  his  ability  to  entertain.  I  have  still 
a  circumstance  to  relate  which  makes  his  singing  the 
more  marvelous  and  marks  an  "O.  K."  on  my  efforts 
to  make  a  Chinese  with  a  dull,  unmelodious,  unmusical 
voice  succeed.  Of  course  he  never  had  the  clear,  ringing 
tone  that  is  in  the  gift  of  the  white  race  and  he  could 
not  always  get  the  vowel  sounds  to  suit  me  and  I 
attributed  the  fact  to  his  being  a  Chinese,  so  I  was 
obliged  to  be  satisfied  with  the  result  obtained.  He  made 
me  a  promise  when  he  came  home  in  1911  that  he  would 
not  sing  for  any  one  until  I  had  heard  him  after  all 
these  years,  for  if  he  did  not  please  me  I  would  not  let 
him  sing.  I  was  trying  his  tones  and  found  he  had 
developed  wonderful  deep  and  full  tones  and  in  the  sec- 
ond series  as  high  as  E  flat,  but  he  could  not  take  high  F 
to  my  surprise  after  having  two  other  F's  so  perfect  in 
their  tone  color.  I  was  so  dissatisfied,  I  said,  "What  is 
the  matter  that  you  do  not  take  this  note?"  and  as  I 
spoke  I  noticed  he  kept  the  tongue  close  to  the  front 
of  his  teeth.  I  said,  "Why  do  you  use  the  tongue  like 
that,"  and  he  said,  "I  have  always  done  so,"  and  I  was 
most  impatient  at  that  when  I  am  so  particular  with 
pronunciation  in  a  pupil.  After  an  examination  I  found 
to  my  surprise  that  he  had  all  these  years  been  tongue 
tied.  I  simply  stared  at  him  with  astonishment;  to  think 
that  it  was  possible  for  any  one  to  sing  as  well  as  he 
did  with  this  affliction.  I  said,  "Now,  Frank,  you  have 
faithfully  done  everything  I  ever  asked  you.  Will  you 
do  one  more  thing  for  me?"  He  replied,  "Will  it  make 
me  sing?"  I  said,  "Yes,  will  you  do  it?"  In  an  instant 
I  had  his  promise  and  the  next  day  his  tongue  was 
released  and  on  the  fifth  day  he  had  his  high  F.  He  tells  me 
he  can  now  sing  it  with  power  and  hold  it  as  he  should. 
There  is  nothing  left  to  be  done  by  me  in  a  technical 
way.  He  is  now  a  singer  and  not  a  bad  one. 

166 


HBHHB9BHH1BKBBHBHHBHHNB9B8B 


LEE  TUNG   FOO 
Pupil  in  the  90's 


CHAPTER  TWENTY 


WHAT  I  KNOW  OF  THE  VOICE  AND  OF  TEACHING. 


N  TAKING  up  this  subject,  it  is  not  my  pur- 
pose to  give  lessons  in  voice  culture  on  paper. 
There  is,  of  course,  but  one  way  to  sing  and 
that  is  the  right  way.  Every  teacher  thinks 
his  is  the  right  one.  This  can  be  proven  only 
by  the  result  upon  the  pupil.  Does  every  teacher  under- 
stand the  training  of  the  voice  and  can  he  impart  his 
knowledge  to  the  pupil  and  enable  him  to  acquire  a  per- 
fect mastery  over  the  tone  production  and  management 
of  sound  in  singing  with  this  invisible  instrument?  Can 
he  surmount  the  technical  difficulties  and  the  mechanism 
of  the  vocal  organs?  The  inner  consciousness  is  the  only 
safe  guide  for  teacher  and  student. 

The  strictest  attention  should  be  directed  in  the  be- 
ginning by  all  students  to  the  exercise  of  forethought, 
deliberation  and  mental  energy,  attributes  which  are  of 
the  greatest  importance,  more  so  perhaps  than  physical 
strength.  A  conscientious  singer  is  rewarded  after  arduous 
work  by  gaining  the  power  of  emotional  expression  which 
the  human  voice  possesses  beyond  any  other  musical 
medium.  There  are  two  distinct  branches  used  in  the 
study  of  the  voice — the  technical  and  esthetic.  The  mechan- 
ism and  healthy  production  of  the  voice  and  its  develop- 
ment belong  to  the  first  work.  Taste  and  feeling  and  a 
sympathetic  and  sensitive  nature,  combined  with  a  culti- 
vated musical  organization,  a  poetic  temperament  and  a 
pleasing  personality,  with  magnetic  fire  capable  of  holding 
listeners  enthralled,  are  of  the  other  work. 

In  my  long  career  in  song  I  have  especially  noted  the 
appearance  of  a  singer.  My  first  impressions  have  usually 
remained.  In  justice  to  the  fine  contralto,  Schumann- 
Heink,  I  will  relate  my  first  impressions  of  her  in  song. 
Mr.  L.  Sherman  of  Sherman  &  Clay  sent  me,  to  my 
great  delight,  two  tickets  for  the  opera  of  "Lohengrin." 
I  had  never  heard  the  opera  nor  the  singer.  When  I 
heard  her  sing  her  role,  her  first  notes  so  astonished  me 
I  just  held  my  breath,  I  could  not  realize  the  voice  of  a 

167 


woman,  she  sang  like  a  baritone.  The  opera  was  given 
in  German,  and  I  thought  I  never  heard  such  a  masculine 
voice  in  my  life,  and  the  whole  opera  was  spoiled  by  her 
number  for  me,  and  the  impression  was  so  lasting  that 
nothing  could  induce  me  to  hear  her  again  after  that 
opera.  I  could  not  bear  to  think  of  such  a  man's  voice 
in  a  woman.  This  was  when  Mapelson  was  here  in 
1884.  I  never  heard  her  again  until  1908  at  Ye  Liberty. 
Everybody  had  lauded  her  all  these  years,  and  I  never  ex- 
pressed my  opinion  but  held  to  my  impressions  on  my 
first  hearing  of  her  work.  At  last  I  asked  myself,  why 
should  all  these  musical  people  call  her  great  and  praise 
her  tone  productions  as  being  so  perfect,  and  I  stand 
alone  in  my  opinion.  I  resolved,  if  she  ever  came  again, 
to  hear  and  see  if  the  fault  lay  with  me.  The  opportunity 
was  granted  me  in  1908  and,  engaging  a  box  in  the  gal- 
lery, I  took  two  pupils  with  me  to  hear  the  great  singer 
and  accord  her  justice  if  I  had  erred.  I  beheld  a  whole- 
some looking  woman,  but  not  beautiful.  She  was  gowned 
in  a  stylish  robe  of  rich  material,  and  on  her  head  a  white 
lace  hat  with  soft  white  plumes  which  lent  a  charm  and 
softened  her  otherwise  angular  features.  If  I  had  received 
a  shock  at  her  first  appearance,  I  certainly  was  the  most 
surprised  woman  in  the  audience  when  she  began  her 
group  of  songs.  Her  first  notes  convinced  me  that  she 
had  changed  her  methods  completely  since  singing  in 
opera.  She  had  found  that  singing  in  concert  and  singing 
the  heavy  work  of  Wagner  were  two  distinct  methods, 
and  to  succeed  she  had  chosen  the  Bel  Canto  and  for- 
saken Wagner.  I  never  heard  a  more  beautiful  lullaby 
than  she  sang,  with  all  tenderness  and  mother  love  run- 
ning throughout  her  lines.  Her  German  songs  were  also 
charming  and  well  phrased  and  the  interpretation  perfect. 
Knowing  the  German  language  myself,  I  was  able  to 
appreciate  and  understand  her  rendering  of  them.  It  was 
only  once  she  gave  one  or  two  of  those  former  bellowing 
notes,  and  as  quickly  as  she  had  uttered  them  she  changed 
to  the  touchful  notes  that  were  more  pleasing.  I  fully  en- 
joyed the  concert  as  much  as  I  had  disliked  the  opera  which 
I  heard  in  1884  and  which  had  left  such  an  ugly  impres- 
sion. It  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  that  I  also  add  my 
best  appreciation  of  Schumann-Heink's  singing,  for  she 
now  sings  just  as  an  artist  should  who  understands  the 
art  of  singing,  correctly,  naturally,  easily  and  comfortably. 
To  gain  the  height  of  vocal  art  is  to  have  no  apparent 
method,  but  to  sing  with  perfect  facility  from  one  end 
of  the  voice  to  the  other,  emitting  all  the  notes  clearly 

168 


and  yet  with  power;  to  have  each  note  of  the  scale  sound 
the  same  in  quality  and  tonal  beauty  as  the  ones  before 
and  after.  This  is  the  highest  art  and  a  lifetime  of  work 
and  study  are  necessary  to  acquire  an  easy  emission  of 
tone.  One  must  have  a  complete  understanding  of  ana- 
tomical structure  of  the  throat,  mouth  and  face,  with  their 
resonant  cavities  which  are  most  necessary  for  the  proper 
production  of  voice.  The  whole  breathing  apparatus  must 
be  understood  because  the  whole  foundation  of  singing  is 
breathing  and  control  of  all  the  functions  which  compose 
the  musical  instrument.  A  singer's  reliance  depends  upon 
the  breath,  as  on  the  stability  to  economize  the  air  during 
its  emission  from  the  lungs.  Steadiness,  strength,  flexi- 
bility and  sustaining  power  of  the  voice  depend  upon  this 
knowledge  and  intelligent  use  of  it.  I  hold  the  art  of 
singing  in  such  reverence  that  I  feel  I  am  walking  upon 
sacred  ground  when  I  am  employed  in  the  teaching  of  the 
human  voice.  It  is  notoriously  difficult  to  give  rules  for 
singing  to  every  one  alike.  I  have  found  out  in  my  long 
experience  of  development  of  different  voices  under  my 
guidance  that  no  two  persons  can  be  taught  alike.  As 
faces  and  people  differ,  so  do  also  the  voices.  There  are 
general  rules  to  be  observed  that  all  can  understand,  but 
outside  of  that,  teaching  of  the  voice  becomes  an  individual 
study  of  every  conscientious  and  capable  teacher.  No  one 
should  attempt  it  unless  he  understands  perfectly  the 
anatomy  of  the  muscles  that  are  used  and  compose  the 
vocal  apparatus,  their  placement  and  uses.  Instructors 
should  be  perfect  singers  themselves  and  able  to  give  an 
example  of  every  tone  as  accurately  as  it  can  be  produced 
by  the  human  voice.  A  teacher  who  cannot  produce  a 
perfect  tone  has  not  the  right  to  teach.  Why  should  the 
proper  training  of  the  voice  continue  to  be  the  least  pro- 
gressive of  all  professions,  and  why  should  there  be  less 
care  and  work  used  in  the  development  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful gift  that  has  been  given  to  mankind,  the  human  voice? 
While  this  gift  has  not  been  equally  bestowed  on  every 
one,  yet  there  is  not  a  being  who  could  not  sing  if  he 
were  properly  taught.  It  is  not  the  great-voiced  singer 
that  gives  the  most  beautiful  song.  While  he  is  to  be 
admired  for  his  grand  tones  and  magnificent  work,  it  has 
taken  years  of  technique  to  produce  those  tones  through 
perfect  knowledge  of  breath  control. 

Teachers  of  the  eighteenth  century  required  many  years 
of  hard  study  from  the  pupils  before  they  were  considered 
competent  to  illustrate  the  art  of  tone  production  and 
before  the  masters  considered  them  singers  or  sent  them 

169 


forth  as  exponents  of  their  art.  Why  all  this  work  to 
acquire  the  art  of  producing  beautiful  tones?  We  must 
use  intelligent  understanding  in  the  use  of  this  instrument 
which  is  such  a  rare  gift  to  us.  Thrice  happy  are  those 
who  are  able  to  give  to  listening  humanity  the  full  com- 
prehensive and  soulful  touch  of  song  which  the  individual 
instrument  is  capable  of  producing.  There  is  so  much 
more  in  singing  than  the  mere  possession  of  a  beautiful 
voice.  The  singer  must  be  able  to  supplement  the  beauty  of 
the  voice  with  intelligence  in  the  exposition  of  the  song. 
But  few  realize  how  much  skill  this  demands.  No  amount 
of  intelligence  will  enable  a  person  rightly  to  interpret 
a  song  if  he  has  not  learned  the  elements  of  singing  or 
has  not  a  complete  command  of  the  technique  of  his  art. 
The  most  important'  element  of  beautiful  song  is  the  lung 
capacity,  and  thereon  hangs  the  whole  success;  control 
of  the  breathing  muscles.  One  has  infinite  gradations  of 
the  power  of  this  column  of  air  to  produce  the  result  in 
exquisite  variations  over  the  power  and  the  coloring  of  his 
tones.  Attack  and  management  of  the  air  column  is  an 
art  in  itself — a  correct  poise  of  the  larynx.  Upon  the  art 
of  directing  this  column  of  air  the  quality  of  the  tones 
depends.  The  greatest  marvel  is  that  those  whom  I  have 
had  to  instruct  do  not  know  the  first  elements  of  breath- 
ing. To  breathe  to  live  and  to  breathe  to  be  a  singer  are 
as  far  apart  as  the  poles.  Not  one  in  twenty  knows  what 
lung  capacity  they  have.  The  general  rule  is  to  breathe 
through  the  nose.  That  is  all  right  if  he  is  a  gymnast 
or  a  ball  player,  but  singing  is  just  the  opposite  of  this 
sort  of  breathing.  Everything  is  relaxed  and  natural, 
the  breath  is  inhaled  through  partly  opened  lips,  slowly, 
evenly  and  quietly  and  allows  not  a  particle  to  go  through 
the  nostrils  until  the  lungs  are  completely  filled  and  in- 
flated. The  large  cells  are  in  the  lower  part  of  the  lungs, 
and  when  they  are  inflated  and  the  diaphragm  properly 
used  so  as  to  direct  and  control  this  column,  one  can  sing 
as  long  as  there  is  a  particle  of  air  to  use.  For  seventy 
years  I  have  used  this  method  of  breathing,  and  I  am  a 
perfect  example  of  the  preservation  of  the  voice  now  in 
my  seventy-sixth  year,  and  have  every  note  I  ever  used 
and  can  sing  with  as  much  power  and  breath  control  as  I 
ever  could.  I  feel  no  weakness  or  lack  of  strength  in  any 
part  of  my  tone  production. 

I  taught  every  pupil  in  this  way  and  cured  many 
of  the  tremolo  habit  by  showing  them  how  to  breathe 
properly  and  then  use  this  art  intelligently.  The  art  of 
breathing  is  not  alone  the  thing  to  understand.  There  are 

170 


many  other  points  of  importance  to  remember,  but  the  art 
of  breathing  is  the  fundamental  stone  that  has  to  be  well 
grounded  to  secure  the  lasting  success  of  the  conscien- 
tious and  intelligent  student.  Each  person  must  feel  the 
action  of  the  different  parts  that  go  to  make  up  the  vocal 
instrument,  which  strengthens  my  assertion  that  each 
individual  must  have  his  own  separate  instruction  as  he 
possesses  the  charm  of  his  own  personality  and  musical 
temperament.  Many  students  may  have  complete  knowl- 
edge of  how  it  should  be  done,  and  yet  in  the  performance 
they  do  just  the  opposite,  from  a  feeling  of  self-conscious- 
ness and  the  fear  of  being  ridiculed  in  their  efforts  to 
sing.  The  mind  must  first  recognize,  then  control,  until 
automatic  action  is  established  and  there  is  no  danger  of 
self-consciousness.  One  must  learn  the  elements  of  sing- 
ing— no  amount  of  intelligence  will  enable  a  person  rightly 
to  interpret  a  song  if  he  has  not  first  learned  that  depart- 
ment thoroughly.  For  in  order  to  offer  an  interpretation 
to  an  audience,  the  singer  must  have  a  complete  command 
of  the  technique  of  his  art.  The  singers  of  today  are  not 
so  skillful  as  they  were  in  the  eighteenth  century,  because 
they  are  not  patient  enough  to  study  the  essential  tone 
production  which  must  be  produced  to  make  tones  that 
are  satisfying  to  themselves  and  also  to  the  sensitive 
and  cultivated  ears  of  the  listeners.  A  singer  must  reject 
any  unmusical  sound  and,  above  all  things,  rule  out  any 
departure  from  the  pitch.  Singing  out  of  tune  is  not 
singing  at  all.  They  can  never  be  relied  upon  and  are 
therefore  unsatisfactory  for  any  use  at  all.  It  seems  simple 
enough  to  sing,  yet  to  get  the  correct,  pure  tone  one  must 
work  daily  to  accomplish  perfection.  There  are  many 
singers  who  attain  a  certain  amount  of  distinction  on  the 
operatic  stage  that  cannot  produce  a  full,  round,  sympa- 
thetic tone.  They  may  have  powerful  tones  and  astonish 
the  public,  yet  in  a  short  season  the  tones  become  dull  or 
heavy  or  sharp,  ear-splitting  and  their  victorious  career  is 
finished  and  oblivion  mercifully  covers  them. 


171 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-ONE 


TREMOLO 


N  WRITING  about  one  of  the  greatest  faults 
in  the  teaching  of  vocal  music  I  wish  to  put 
my  most  emphatic  criticism  upon  the  Tremolo 
in  the  voice  and  condemnation  upon  those  who 
vitiate  the  human  voice  with  the  most  intol- 
erable fault  that  any  one  who  pretends  to  sing  could 
practice.  In  "The  Musician"  of  November,  1908,  there 
was  an  article  upon  this  subject,  which  I  read  with 
profound  interest  and  I  wrote  to  Ditson  &  Co.  to  allow 
me  the  privilege  of  using  the  article  as  it  was  just  the 
very  thing  that  the  student  who  was  learning  to  use  the 
voice  ought  to  read.  I  was  happily  granted  permission. 
The  article  entitled  "The  Singers  tremolo  and  vibrato — 
their  origin  and  musical  value,"  was  written  by  Lester  S. 
Butter,  who  says: 

"In  April,  1795,  in  Romano,  Province  of  Bergano,  was 
born  Rubini,  King  of  tenors.  His  voice,  small  in  the 
beginning,  developed  marvelously  in  tone  volume  and  the 
swell  and  diminish  of  tones  (messe  di  voce)  called  by 
the  Italians  "vibrato  of  the  voice"  was  the  characteristic 
of  his  style. 

"This  ebbing  and  flowing  undulating  wave  of  sound 
upon  sustained  notes  was  the  source  from  which  sprung 
the  modern  tremolo  and  vibrato,  which  is  so  much  in 
evidence  among  singers  and  so  offensive  to  all  really 
refined  musical  taste.  There  seems  to  be  considerable 
confusion  among  singers  and  even  writers  as  to  the  use 
and  meaning  of  tremolo  and  vibrato.  These  terms  seem 
to  be  used  synonymously  and  the  latter  is  used  where 
messa  di  voce  is  meant.  The  Standard  dictionary  defines 
vibrato  as  a  trembling  of  pulsating  effect  in  vocal  music 
caused  by  rapid  variation  or  emphasis  of  the  same  tone 
(evidently  messa  di  voce)  proper  distinguished  from 
tremolo,  where  there  is  a  vibration  of  tones;  and  the 
latter  is  a  vibrating  beating  or  throbbing  sound  produced 
by  the  voice  or  instrumentally. 

172 


MRS.  BLAKE-ALVERSON  AND  HER  TWO  SONS 
Win.  Ellery  Blake  Geo.  Lincoln  Blake 


"Ferdinand  Sieber,  in  answer  to  questions  286  and  287, 
Art  of  Singing,  says:  'Question  286.  How  should  the 
longer  sung  notes  be  taught?  Here  the  rule  should  be 
enforced  that  every  radical  note  should  be  accompanied 
with  a  swelling  of  the  tone  where  it  is  intended  to  sing 
the  following  ones  in  cresendo,  and  on  the  other  hand, 
the  strength  of  tone  diminishes  when  these  notes  are 
to  be  sung  decresendo.  If  there  is  a  pause,  a  messa  di 
voce  should  be  executed.' 

"  'Question  287.  Is  not  then  this  constant  vibration  of 
the  voice  a  gross  fault?  It  causes  great  confusion  in 
regard  to  the  expression  among  singers  of  different 
degrees  of  ability.  We  read  daily  that  it  is  reprehen- 
sible in  this  or  that  singer  to  indulge  in  this  vibration, 
while  in  reality  it  is  the  tremolando  which  is  blamed.  The 
vibration  of  the  voice  is  its  inmost  life-throb — its  pulse — 
its  spring.  Without  it  there  is  only  monotony.  But  if 
the  vibration  is  changed  to  tremolando  the  singer  falls 
into  an  intolerable  fault  which  is  warranted  only  in  very 
rare  cases  when  it  serves  as  a  means  to  express  the  very 
highest  degree  of  excitement.' 

"W.  J.  Henderson  in  the  Art  of  the  Singer,  says  of 
messa  di  voce,  'It  is  by  the  emission  of  tones  swelling 
and  diminishing  that  we  impart  to  song  that  wave-like 
undulation  which  gives  it  vitality  and  tonal  vivacity.'  But 
when  speaking  of  the  rendition  of  Handelian  arias,  he 
evidently  uses  the  term  vibrato  in  the  same  sense  as 
Sieber  does  tremolando.  He  declares  it  probably  hopeless 
to  plead  for  the  abolition  of  the  cheap  and  vulgar 
vibrato  in  the  delivery  of  these  old  arias,  remarking 
further  that  there  is  no  account  of  its  use  in  the  writ- 
ings of  the  contemporaries  of  Caffarelli  and  Farinelli 
and  that  master  singers  of  their  day  were  praised  for 
the  steadiness  of  their  tones  and  the  perfect  smoothness 
of  their  style.  He  asserts  also  that  vibrato  is  a  trick 
invented  after  that  day  and  out  of  place  in  the  music  of 
that  period. 

"Referring  to  Rubini,  the  originator  of  the  fault,  he 
leaves  the  impression  that  this  singer  used  the  vibrato 
only  occasionally  (which  may  at  first  have  been  the  fact) 
and  that  as  a  means  of  heightening  the  dramatic  effect. 
Grove,  however,  puts  the  matter  somewhat  differently. 
'Rubini,'  he  says,  'was  the  earliest  to  use  the  thrill  of 
the  voice  known  as  vibrato  (the  subsequent  abuse  of 
which  we  are  all  familiar)  at  first  as  a  means  of  emo- 
tional effect,  afterward  it  was  to  conceal  the  deterioration 
of  the  organ.' 

173 


"Imitators  brought  great  discredit  upon  Rubini  and 
his  name  is  associated  with  an  impure,  corrupt  vocaliza- 
tion. This  with  other  influences,  brought  about  a  sen- 
timent in  composers  as  well  as  singers  favoring  vocal 
declamation,  rather  than  singing  in  the  sense  in  which 
that  word  was  understood  by  the  great  tenor.  In  1852 
there  was  a  cloud  of  imitators  and  it  became  so  preva- 
lent almost  all  singers  of  the  day  indulged  in  it. 

"Ferri,  a  baritone  who  sang  at  La  Scala  in  1853,  made 
such  effective  use  of  it  upon  any  note  as  to  secure  a 
place  in  the  records  of  that  day  as  one  whose  whole 
song  was  a  bad  'wobble.' 

"Even  the  great  Mario,  whose  voice  is  described  as 
'rich  Devonshire  cream,'  was  afflicted,  but  usually  free 
from  the  vice.  Clara  Novello  was  greatly  admired 
because  she  indulged  in  it  with  such  discrimination,  and 
Campanini,  entirely  free  from  the  fault,  was  greeted  with 
enthusiastic  pleasure  whenever  he  appeared.  (The  present 
writer  heard  Campanini  in  1858,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
grandest  man  singers  I  ever  heard.  Stigelli  was  also 
one  of  the  same  style  of  singers  at  that  time  and  I 
heard  them  both  in  grand  opera  and  there  was  never  a 
tremolo  in  either  of  their  voices  but  perfect  art  in 
messa  di  voce,  Bel  Canto  singing.)  Another  reference 
to  Mr.  Henderson  will  show  that  the  weed  still  flour- 
ishes. Almost  every  singer  of  today  tries  from  the 
beginning  to  acquire  an  habitual  vibrato,  (the  present 
writer  infers  that  Mr.  Henderson  does  not  use  'vibrato' 
with  the  Italian  meaning  messa  di  voce)  to  be  used  at 
all  times  without  regard  to  fitness.  Some  of  our  singers 
have  cultivated  the  trick,  they  have  developed  it  into 
a  perpetual  tremolo.  He  thinks  it  would  be  interesting 
to  know  what  Porpora,  or  Fedi,  would  have  thought  of 
a  twentieth  century  tremolo,  especially  when  introduced 
in  an  aria  by  Carissimi. 

"It  seems  that  the  tremolo  came  into  general  use  as  an 
imitation  of  the  so-called  'musical  sob'  of  Rubini,  which 
he  used  to  express  certain  phases  of  emotion  and  excite- 
ment, and  then  it  was  cultivated  by  those  whose  tastes 
were  lowered  or  having  a  desire  to  acquire  more  power 
than  their  organ  was  capable  of  safely  obtaining  or  to 
conceal  under  the  claim  of  artistic  and  real  expression,  the 
decay  of  their  singing  voice. 

"Emma  Seiler  (voice  in  singing)  has  this  to  say: 
'Unhappily  our  whole  music  is  vitiated  by  this  sickly 
sentimentalism,  the  perfect  horror  of  every  person  of  cul- 
tivated taste.  This  sickly  sentimental  style  has  also 

174 


naturalized  in  singing  a  gross  trick  unfortunately  very 
prevalent,  the  tremolo  of  the  notes.'  In  a  letter  to 
Dr.  S.  B.  Matthews  (Music  1900),  L.  G.  Gottschalk  so 
succinctly  gives  his  opinion  as  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to 
his  position  on  the  subject:  'Tremolo  of  the  voice  is 
the  result  of  either  of  the  three  following  causes — dis- 
eased vocal  organs,  old  age,  or  defective  breathing,  and 
as  such  has  no  excuse  for  its  existence.'  This  is  in 
agreement  with  Madam  Marchesi  in  answer  to  a  question 
in  regard  to  the  tremolo.  'The  continued  vibrato  is  the 
worst  defect  in  singing  and  is  a  certain  sign  that  a  voice 
has  been  forced  and  spoiled.  It  is  the  result  of  the 
relaxation  of  the  exterior  muscles  of  the  larynx  which 
can  no  longer  remain  motionless  in  the  position  during 
the  emission  of  the  sound.  This  distressing  permanent 
vibrato  proceeds  from  ignorance  or  neglect  of  the  register 
limits.'  W.  H.  Blare  gives  the  warning,  'Do  not  allow 
the  voice  to  wobble,  or  become  tremulous.  A  tremor  is 
dangerous  under  any  circumstances  and  an  ineffectual 
substitute  for  sustained,  pathetic  tone  color.'  Sir  Morrell 
Mackenzie,  M.  D.,  asserts  that  tremolo  is  injurious,  as 
tending  to  beget  a  depraved  habit  of  singing.  It  is  the 
worst  fault  of  a  singer. 

"In  Kofler  (art  of  breathing)  he  speaks  of  the 
tremolo:  'As  to  the  tremolo  in  the  voice,  I  will  only  say 
that  frequently  the  air  is  expelled  forcibly  in  order  to 
picture  with  the  voice  a  violent  outburst  of  passion  and 
emotion,  a  light  tremolo  will  produce  a  good  effect  to 
give  expression  to  a  feeling  of  fear,  anxiety,  or  anguish ; 
outside  of  this,  the  tremolo  must  never  be  used  in  singing. 
This  is  often  done  to  hide  a  worn-out  voice,  but  more 
often  because  the  singer  is  under  a  foolish  delusion 
that  this  tremolo  is  very  expressive  and  dramatic.  I  know 
of  no  style  of  singing  so  unnatural  as  a  perpetual  tremo- 
lando  brought  on  by  injudicious  training  and  the  igno- 
rance of  the  art  of  breathing  correctly.' " 

I  consider  that  I  would  be  derelict  in  my  duty  as  a 
teacher  of  voice  did  I  not  insert  this  most  important 
chapter  in  my  book.  I  am  glad  to  have  the  best  authori- 
ties on  my  side  of  the  subject.  I  think  it  is  the  true 
reason  why  we  have  such  a  dearth  of  fine  singers  in 
this  generation.  It  certainly  is  not  because  we  have 
not  the  voices.  California  can  produce  as  fine  voices 
as  are  found  in  Italy,  but  as  fast  as  they  are  found 
some  unscrupulous  fake  comes  along  and  finds  the 
unfortunate  victim  who  begins  training  and  in  a  few 
months  the  papers  are  full  of  this  wonderful  find  and 

175 


future  songstress.  Then  a  recital  is  planned  and  the 
beautiful  young  woman  (if  appearance  has  any  value) 
certainly  fills  all  that  has  been  noised  about  her.  En- 
dowed by  nature  with  a  voice  of  unusual  power  and 
expressiveness  she  is  a  most  promising  amateur  and  will 
perhaps  be  heard  from  in  the  future.  At  least  she  will 
be  if  native  gifts  count.  At  last  the  opportunity  has 
arrived  to  hear  this  young  singer  of  a  few  short  months' 
training  in  a  group  of  songs.  Our  expectations  are  at 
the  highest  pitch  as  she  appears  in  all  her  youthful 
charms.  But  alas,  how  quickly  is  the  spell  broken.  This 
wonderful  singer  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  an  incom- 
petent teacher  and  the  beautiful  voice  has  been  damaged 
until  the  tremolo  is  unbearable  and  we  listen  with  pity 
at  the  havoc  made  in  a  few  months  of  force  upon  the 
beautiful  voice  by  such  teaching.  There  never  was  an 
age  when  so  many  singing  pupils  are  being  taught,  and 
yet  we  have  no  singers.  Pupils  do  not  apply  themselves 
seriously  to  the  real  study  of  the  voice  as  they  do  to 
other  studies.  To  sing  a  song  is  all  they  aspire  to  do. 
They  consider  it  all  useless  nonsense  to  practice  technic. 
They  want  the  glory  without  the  conscientious  work  which 
is  a  daily  requirement.  Very  few  singers  of  today  are 
provided  with  real  vocal  technic.  They  learn  to  scream 
one  note  at  a  time.  A  short  life  and  a  merry  one,  great 
glory  and  great  salaries,  sacrificing  their  voices  at  the 
demand  for  big  tone.  Perhaps  they  rejoice  in  a  brief 
season.  Afterwards  their  names  are  forgotten.  Good 
singing,  as  all  other  performances,  consists  in  the  due 
adjustment  of  every  factor  connected  with  it. 

I  had  my  first  experience  in  1894  with  the  voice  of 
a  young  girl  that  had  a  perpetual  tremolo.  I  was  thor- 
oughly amazed  at  the  unsteady  wavering  of  each  note. 
At  last  I  asked  her  why  she  did  not  sing  in  a  steady 
tone.  Her  reply  was  she  could  not  help  it.  I  then 
inquired  if  she  had  former  instructions.  She  replied  she 
had.  After  trying  in  vain  to  get  a  pure  tone,  I  told  her 
I'd  rather  not  teach  her  as  I  had  no  knowledge  of  how 
to  relieve  her  of  this  defect  which  could  not  be  allowed 
in  a  perfect  singer.  Her  disappointment  was  so  great  as 
to  cause  her  to  weep.  My  heart  was  touched  for  her 
misfortune  and  I  told  her  I  had  only  one  remedy  and 
if  she  would  try  that  I'd  undertake  the  work  of  restoring 
her  voice  to  its  normal  state  if  possible.  This  was  Tues- 
day. I  asked  her  to  return  on  Friday  and  if  I  saw  any 
improvement  I'd  teach  her  if  she  would  obey  orders.  I 
gave  her  a  lesson  in  the  art  of  breathing,  something  which 

176 


Frederick  Zech 
S.  Arrillaga 


Henry  Wetherbee  Adolph  Klose 

William  P.  Melvin  John  W.  Metcalf 

Win.  M'F.  Greer 


ASSOCIATED   MUSICIANS  AND  SINGERS 
1854-1900 


had  been  entirely  neglected  before,  and  sent  her  away. 
On  the  following  Friday  she  took  her  second  lesson, 
and  the  voice  was  as  steady  as  if  she  had  never  done 
the  other  work.  I  continued  to  teach  her  for  two  and  a 
half  years  and  at  ray  first  recital  she  and  I  sang  the 
duet,  Qui  est  Homo,  from  Rossini's  Stabat  Mater,  and 
although  my  age  was  sixty  and  hers  twenty,  I  was  able 
to  use  my  usual  strength  in  singing  the  song  as  if  she 
had  been  a  mature  singer.  At  the  close  of  the  number 
we  were  greeted  with  bravos  and  applause  that  lasted 
for  some  time.  It  was  the  crowning  reward  for  my 
weeks  of  patient  training  and  careful  watchfulness.  I  never 
taught  her  after  that  evening  and  I  heard  she  had  several 
other  instructors.  I  heard,  however,  that  she  had  never 
returned  to  the  tremolo  after  I  had  once  placed  her  voice 
in  the  right  path.  Had  she  been  a  student  I  think  the  state 
of  California  would  have  been  proud  to  have  claimed  her, 
but  she  lacked  stability  in  her  work.  She  still  sings  but  I 
have  not  heard  her  for  years.  This  was  my  first 
experience. 

In  the  year  1907  I  cured  twenty-five  young  people, 
both  girls  and  boys,  of  this  dreadful  habit,  which  seems 
to  be  the  death  knell  of  all  of  our  California  young 
singers.  Every  one  of  these  became  addicted  to  this 
habit  through  wrong  instruction  by  persons  who  were  not 
teachers  at  all  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  not  know- 
ing the  construction  of  the  voice  themselves  so  as  to  lead 
the  pupil  into  the  proper  channel,  having  lost  their  own 
voices  by  these  methods  they  were  not  competent  to 
instruct  others.  How  is  it  possible  for  them  to  guide 
the  young  singer  when  they  cannot  give  a  pure  tone 
example  themselves  for  the  pupil  to  follow?  Freshness 
and  steadiness  are  the  most  valuable  properties  of  a 
voice,  but  are  also  the  most  delicate  and  easily  injured 
and  quickly  lost.  When  once  really  impaired  they  can 
never  be  restored.  This  is  the  condition  of  a  voice 
which  is  said  to  be  lost.  The  prostration  of  the  vocal 
organs  are  thus  brought  on  by  injudicious  training  if 
not  the  result  of  organic  disease.  This  must  be  under- 
stood by  the  competent  teacher  who  should  not  be  mis- 
taken in  the  nature  of  the  organ  or  attempt  by  obstinate 
perseverance  to  convert  a  low  voice  into  a  high  one,  or 
vice  versa.  The  error  is  equally  disastrous,  the  result 
being  utterly  to  destroy  the  voice.  The  teacher's  voca- 
tion is  first  to  find  the  natural  limits  of  the  voice  in 
question  and  then  seek  to  develop  them  into  their  most 
beautiful  tone  production  before  attempting  to  develop 

177 


either  higher  or  lower  tones  until  these  have  been  properly 
understood  by  both  teacher  and  pupil.  The  pupil  should 
also  at  once  comprehend  the  importance  of  guarding  the 
voice  from  injury  and  not  transform  or  extend  his 
gifts  beyond  their  natural  power  and  capability.  The 
voice  is  often  seriously  impaired  in  using  the  high  notes 
in  both  chest  and  head  registers,  by  forcing  of  the  high 
notes,  and  exaggerating  the  timbres  and,  if  often  renewed, 
will  eventually  destroy  the  best  voice  and  the  tremolo 
follows  in  consequence  and  the  once  promising  voice  is 
lost  and  forever  inevitably  destroyed. 


178 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-TWO 


MORI;  ABOUT  THE  VOICE 


"af?err  la  little  Mffrrr nn>  in  ilfr  plar?  we  fill  in  lift: 
3Hp  tutjuiriattt  tljimt  ta  hum  tn  fill  it" 

HIS  MAXIM  applies  also  to  the  art  of  sing- 
ing. There  are  singers  and  singers,  but  few 
become  artists.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of 
dollars  are  spent  upon  them  in  America 
yearly.  How  many  of  these  thousands  of 
dollars  come  back  to  these  students?  It  is  a  rare  occur- 
rence if  we  get  one  in  ten  thousand  that  really  reaches 
this  distinction  in  art,  a  just  reward  for  long  years  of 
patient  study.  When  such  an  artist  does  appear  it  is 
like  a  new  star  in  the  firmament,  the  wonder  of  the  age. 
The  beauty  and  glory  of  this  wonderful  singer  is  not 
hidden  under  a  bushel,  but  the  people  of  the  earth  flock 
to  hear  and  see  this  rara  avis.  The  regret  is  that  such 
a  singer  can  not  sing  on  forever.  It  is  strange  that  the 
human  mind  can  retain  the  memory  of  song  with  such 
distinctness  and  acuteness  in  the  different  singers  and 
remember  the  very  songs  they  sang  and  how  and  where. 
When  this  can  be  done  the  singer  can  well  feel  that  his 
work  has  made  a  lasting  impression.  Nothing  less  than 
the  best  will  satisfy  a  lover  of  good  music  after  having 
enjoyed  the  best  at  the  beginning. 

We  are  often  annoyed  when  we  hear  foreigners  say, 
"Oh,  we  have  it  better  in  Europe."  There  must  be  a 
reason  for  it,  and  it  is  not  the  lack  of  voices  in  America, 
for  we  have  given  many  fine  voices,  including  the  only 
prima  donnas  who  have  risen  to  the  height  of  distinction 
in  our  day.  We  are  foremost  in  producing  fine  singers 
today  as  well  as  in  the  past  years,  both  men  and  women, 
who  are  acknowledged  by  all  to  be  the  brightest  stars 
in  the  musical  firmament.  Really  fine  artists  have  a 
charm  that  is  recognized  by  all.  They  are  in  a  class  by 
themselves  and  admirers  feel  honored  to  know  them  or 
speak  with  them  for  a  short  while.  It  is  a  remembrance 
we  go  back  to  with  pleasure  every  time  we  hear  the 

179 


name  spoken.  Not  one  of  our  generation  ever  saw  one 
of  the  great  composers  like  Liszt,  Verdi,  Gounod,  Wagner, 
etc.  Yet  there  is  not  a  musical  person  on  this  earth 
but  claims  an  acquaintanceship  and  comradeship  with  them 
and  they  are  only  known  by  their  pictures  and  what  has 
been  written  or  spoken  about  them.  We  reverence  them 
for  their  splendid  work.  It  is  the  same  with  men  and 
women  singers — their  faces  are  as  familiar  as  though 
they  were  among  us  today.  It  is  true  we  still  have 
Nordica,  Melba,  Schumann-Heink,  Calve,  Eames,  DeRezke, 
Adams,  Sembrich  and  Terina,  but  their  stars  have  gained 
their  heights,  and  we  must  expect  to  see  them  dim  and 
wane,  but  before  they  are  entirely  gone  let  us  hope 
there  will  be  others  as  good  to  take  their  places.  While 
all  students  cannot  be  such  artists  they  can  strive  for  the 
best  under  good  instruction  and  develop  their  instrument 
as  near  perfection  as  it  is  possible  to  bring  it. 

In  my  concert  tour  to  Victoria,  B.  C.,  an  incident 
occurred  after  the  concert  given  at  Olympia.  It  was  my 
first  trip  and  everything  was  new  to  me.  I  supposed  I 
was  a  stranger  to  all  and  was  to  be  heard  in  these  places 
for  the  first  time.  We  had  sung  at  all  the  small  towns 
along  the  Puget  Sound  and  this  was  our  last  city  before 
we  returned.  Our  company  was  a  good  one — Walter  C. 
Campbell,  Vivian  the  Great,  Margaret  Blake,  Mr.  Wand, 
pianist,  Dick  Kohler,  cornetist  and  leader  of  the  company, 
and  Mr.  Atkins,  advance  agent.  A  very  successful  con- 
cert had  been  given  and  a  fine  audience  appreciated  us. 
A  number  of  distinguished  guests  were  present,  including 
the  governor  of  the  state  and  officials  of  the  city  of 
Olympia.  While  I  was  preparing  to  go  to  my  hotel,  I 
was  recalled  by  Mr.  Kohler  saying  I  was  wanted  by  some 
friends  in  the  hall  who  wished  to  speak  to  me.  Imagine 
my  surprise.  Twenty-five  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
awaiting  me  and  I  had  never  seen  one  of  them  before  to 
my  knowledge,  but  evidently  I  was  no  stranger  to  them. 
They  were  people  who  had  repeatedly  heard  me  sing 
from  1865  to  1874  in  San  Francisco  and  they  were  so 
pleased  to  hear  me  again  they  concluded  to  know  me. 
My  curiosity  was  aroused  so  I  asked  them  when  and 
where  had  they  heard  me.  Some  at  Platt's  hall,  others  at 
Howard  Methodist  church,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  on  Sutter  street, 
Union  hall,  Mission  street,  Metropolitan  temple,  Fifth 
street,  etc.  I  then  asked  them  what  songs  I  sang.  Mr. 
Kohler  jotted  down  the  songs  as  they  were  given  by  the 
different  ones,  and  they  came  out  in  this  wise:  three 
remembered  Annie  Laurie,  four  When  the  Tide  Comes  In, 

180 


75th  Birthday 
For  Patriotic  and  Other 
Public  Services 


73d  Birthday 


71st  Birthday 
72d  Birthday 


TROPHIES  AND  TRIBUTES  PRESENTED  TO 
MRS.  BLAKE-ALVERSON 


three  Gatty's  Fair  Dove,  two  Kathleen  Mavourneen,  two 
John  Anderson,  My  Joe,  two  Within  a  Mile  of  Edin- 
borough,  etc.,  two  The  Old  Man's  Song  to  His  Wife,  two 
Home,  Sweet  Home,  five  Last  Rose  of  Summer,  two 
Darby  and  Joan. 

What  a  lesson  it  was  to  me  of  what  a  person  can  do 
as  a  singer.  I  had  left  a  lasting  impression  upon  these 
people  and  whenever  they  heard  these  songs  spoken  of 
or  sung  they  went  back  in  memory  with  pleasure  to  the 
singer  who  sang  them  long  ago  and  they  were  pleased 
to  know  they  were  to  hear  me  once  again,  even  so  far 
from  where  they  had  heard  me  before,  and  pleased  to 
make  themselves  known  in  this  pleasant  way.  I  was 
touched  deeply  by  their  kindness  and  I  asked  Mr.  Kohler 
to  allow  me  to  sing  for  them  Annie  Laurie  and  The 
Last  Rose  of  Summer.  He  recalled  Mr.  Wand,  our 
accompanist,  and  I  gave  them  these  songs  as  a  compli- 
ment. Such  episodes  occur  in  a  singer's  life  and  we  are 
reminded  that  when  work  is  well  done  we  will  always 
have  appreciation,  and  just  reward,  and  leave  a  lasting 
example  for  good  that  others  may  follow  with  safety. 
These  songs  were  not  showy  or  brilliant,  but  they  were 
songs  that  touched  the  heart,  and  left  an  impression  for 
good.  Our  California  audiences  are  metropolitan  and 
changing  forever.  People  are  here  one  day  and  in  a 
twelfth  month  somewhere  else  and  in  my  time  it  was 
still  more  changeable  than  now.  No  matter  what  your 
audience  is  it  is  the  singer's  duty  to  please  every  listener 
as  near  as  possible  and  leave  an  impression.  My  advice 
to  the  singer  is:  Make  your  song  a  part  of  yourself, 
understand  the  composer's  meaning,  have  a  picture  before 
you  of  the  situation,  of  the  meaning  of  the  sentiment. 
Never  sing  anything  that  is  beyond  your  powers,  select  that 
which  you  are  able  to  understand  thoroughly  yourself,  and 
when  you  have  mastered  every  difficulty  and  can  give  your- 
self pleasure  in  the  rendering  of  it,  you  may  be  well  assured 
you  will  make  some  one  else  happy.  An  audience  demands 
your  complete  resources,  so  you  must  not  imagine  you  can 
carelessly  give  anything  but  your  best  efforts.  The  selec- 
tions should  always  be  less  difficult  than  you  are  really  capa- 
ble of  performing,  a  safe  rule  to  follow.  Then  your  audi- 
ence will  know  you  bring  authority  to  your  task,  and 
authority  is  very  necessary  to  command  respect. 

He  who  does  not  think  well  of  this  makes  a  grave 
mistake,  for  while  he  thinks  people  will  not  know  the 
inferiority  of  his  work,  there  is  always  some  one  in  the 
audience  who  does  know.  True  artistic  work  should 

181 


mean  more  to  the  singer  than  anything  else,  for  that  is 
what  makes  his  reputation.  No  one  can  afford  to  be 
careless  in  the  least  effort  if  he  wishes  to  become  an 
acceptable  singer  to  all  classes  that  compose  an  audience. 


182 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-THREE 


POLITICAL  CAMPAIGNING.     WORK  AS  A  PATRIOT.     GRAND  ARMY 
OF  THE  REPUBLIC.      FLAG-RAISING  AT  MONTEREY 

N  recounting  all  these  episodes  of  a  full  life  of 
varied  engagements  I  must  take  in  account  my 
political  career  which  has  extended  from  the  re- 
bellion to  the  present  time.  I  have  had  an  un- 
broken line  of  action  in  political  work  and  yet  I 
never  was  a  suffragette.  My  work  was  to  help  the  cause  of 
my  country  and  those  who  went  bravely  forth  to  conquer  or 
die.  I  come  honestly  by  my  patriotism,  for  I  am  a  descend- 
ant in  a  direct  line  from  Revolutionary  stock.  It  was  there- 
fore most  natural  for  me,  when  the  battle  cry  was  heard  to 
"Be  up  and  at  them."  If  the  enemy  was  in  the  wrong 
and  our  flag  was  in  danger  my  voice  went  ever  out  in 
song.  I  can  proudly  say  I  have  taken  part  in  every 
presidential  campaign  from  Lincoln  down  to  McKinley. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  Republican  party  I  have 
worked  for  its  candidates  and  won  every  time  except 
when  James  G.  Elaine  was  defeated.  Oh,  what  a  fight 
we  had !  I'll  never  forget  the  Mulligan  letters  sent  out 
at  the  last  moment,  too  late  for  a  reply.  There  was  a 
noble  quartette  of  us,  Charles  Parent,  bass;  Mrs.  Parent, 
alto;  Sam  Booth,  tenor,  and  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto. 
How  the  old  Wigwam  rang  with  our  patriotic  songs, 
the  bands  playing  martial  airs  for  the  "Plumed  Knight." 
How  we  stepped  off  with  the  song  of  the  Mulligan 
Guards  to  the  appropriate  parody  written  by  Sam  Booth 
on  these  letters.  Everything  was  done  to  win  but  we 
lost  and  when  Mr.  Richart  read  off  the  returns  my  heart 
sank  within  me  and  I  said,  "I  never  can  stay  to  hear  the 
result."  I  quietly  went  off  the  platform  to  my  home, 
only  to  wake  in  the  morning  to  learn  that  Grover  Cleve- 
land was  to  be  the  next  president.  He  was  never  a  favorite 
candidate  of  mine,  no  matter  what  he  was  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world.  Impressions  will  remain  in  spite  of  facts. 
The  faces  of  all  our  presidents  and  their  lives  are  as 
familiar  to  me  as  the  faces  of  all  the  masters  of  music. 
President  Lincoln  came  first  upon  my  list  of  successful 
candidates  and  was  the  sixteenth  president  of  the  United 

183 


States.  I  was  one  year  old  when  he  became  a  member  of 
the  bar  in  1837.  He  was  twenty-eight  when  I  was  born 
in  Illinois.  When  he  was  inaugurated,  March  4,  1861, 
I  was  twenty  years  old  and  at  that  time  in  Boston  when 
the  mighty  civil  war  began.  When  he  was  elected  the 
second  term  I  was  in  Santa  Cruz,  California  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  campaign.  I  wonder  how  many  times  I 
sang  Vive  1'America  and  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  be- 


Conspicuous  in  the  Seventies  as  a  writer  of  political 
lyrics  and  a  campaign  singer  of  great  popularity. 

fore  the  victory  was  won  and  the  hurrahs  filling  the 
air  at  our  successes.  But  our  joy  was  turned  into  mourn- 
ing when  he  was  assassinated  on  April  14,  1865.  He  had 
only  a  short  time  to  serve  the  nation  that  honored  him. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  Johnson,  the  vice-presi- 
dent. The  eighteenth  president  was  U.  S.  Grant,  who 
served  two  terms,  1869-77.  I  was  in  San  Francisco  then 
and  both  times  I  was  in  the  campaign  and  won.  I  saw 
him  also  in  1879  as  he  returned  from  the  tour  of  the 
world.  The  nineteenth  president,  R.  B.  Hayes,  came 
next  in  order.  I  was  then  in  San  Francisco  and  also  in 

184 


the  employ  of  the  Republican  committee  as  vocalist. 
James  A.  Garfield  became  the  twentieth  president.  He 
was  inaugurated  March  4,  1881,  and  had  served  only 
three  months  when  the  assassin's  bullet  laid  him  low. 
Chester  A.  Arthur,  vice-president,  took  his  place,  the 
third  vice-president,  to  become  the  nation's  chief  ex- 
ecutive during  the  time  I  aided  the  Republican  cam- 
paign committee.  I  now  come  to  the  twenty-third  presi- 
dent, Benjamin  Harrison,  whose  campaign  was  a  record 
breaker.  At  that  time  I  was  living  in  San  Bernardino, 
California,  in  one  of  the  largest  counties  of  southern 
California.  This  county  had  been  democratic  since  1849. 
The  Republicans  determined  to  win  the  county.  There 
were  enough  progressives  to  attempt  it  and  war  on  the 
corrupt  old  ring.  The  Grand  Opera  house  was  engaged 
as  the  place  to  inaugurate  the  campaign.  My  son  was 
director  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  band  and  also  of  the 
orchestra  at  the  opera  house.  I  had  signed  an  agree- 
ment to  sing  for  the  committee  throughout  the  campaign. 
With  this  arrangement  the  music  was  assured.  All  other 
details  completed  we  were  ready  for  the  great  battle. 
Our  initial  performance  took  place  November  9,  1888, 
in  the  Grand  Opera  house,  San  Bernardino.  The  announce- 
ment in  the  morning  papers  after  the  first  gun  was  fired 
was  the  following: 

"Record  of  the  Democratic  party  shown  on  the  Chinese 
question  from  the  days  of  '49,  in  an  able  and  eloquent 
speech  by  Judge  Adams  of  San  Luis  Obispo,  at  the 
Republican  meeting  last  night. 

Patriotic  and  stirring  music  by  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson 
who  was  recalled  five  times. 

A  magnificent  speech  upon  the  Tariff  Question  by 
Judge  W.  A.  Cheney  of  Los  Angeles. 

The  assemblage  was  called  to  order  by  H.  J.  Hurley, 
Chairman  of  the  R.  C.  Committee,  who  introduced  John 
L.  Campbell  as  chairman  of  the  meeting.  The  list  of 
vice-presidents  was  called  by  Lyman  Evans  Esq.,  etc. 

This  was  the  opening  gun.  The  campaign  began  so 
auspiciously  that  the  Riverside  committee  desired  our 
services  and  on  June  29  the  train  for  Riverside  left 
San  Bernardino  with  five  hundred  boosters  and  at  Colton 
about  twenty-five  men  and  a  drum  corps  got  aboard. 
On  arriving  at  Riverside  the  visitors  were  received  by  the 
Republican  club,  the  men  forming  in  procession  and 
seventy-five  women  taking  carriages  for  the  Glenwood 
and  Rowell  hotels.  The  line  of  march  was  long  and 

185 


when  the  procession  arrived  at  the  Opera  house  it  was 
discovered  the  vast  crowd  could  not  be  accommodated. 
The  women  were  given  the  preference.  Nearly  a  thousand 
torches  were  carried  in  a  line  headed  by  the  Colton  Drum 
Corps.  At  the  Opera  house,  Hon.  H.  M.  Streeter  pre- 
sided with  E.  W.  Holmes  as  secretary.  The  gathering 
opened  with  political  music  and  patriotic  airs  by  the  band 
and  glee  club.  The  address  of  the  evening  was  made 
by  A.  H.  Naftzger,  followed  by  Capt.  C.  W.  C.  Rowell. 
Rev.  T.  C  Hunt  made  a  ringing  speech  for  Harrison  and 
protection  to  home  industries.  Capt.  N.  G.  Gill  and  H.  B. 
Everest  presented  the  new  features  of  the  campaign 
issues.  Judge  H.  M.  Jones  made  a  fine  and  telling 
speech,  causing  much  enthusiasm,  followed  by  George 
Nickerson's  singing  with  fine  effect,  The  Red,  White 
and  Blue.  Other  telling  speeches  followed.  Then  Mrs. 
Blake-Alverson  sang  Vive  l'America  and  in  response  to  a 
tremendous  applause  sang  the  following  song,  to  the  tune  of 
Tippecanoe : 

The  convention  last  week  in  Chicago 

Decided,  unanimously,  too, 
To  put  up  a  man  for  the  nation, 

The  grandson  of  Tippecanoe. 
They  balloted  lusty  and  strong, 

Won  over  the  enemy,  too, 
And  when  they  had  counted  the  ballots 

They  saw  'twas  for  Tippecanoe. 

CHORUS 

Then  vote  for  our  Tippecanoe, 

Hurrah   for  our  Tippecanoe ; 
We'll  pull  down  the  old  red  bandana, 

And  stand  by  the  Red,  White  and  Blue. 

Cleveland  has  made  them  a  platform, 

And  thinks  he  can  win  for  them,  too ; 
But,  boys,  it's  too  weak  and  too  shaky, 

Free  trade  with  us  never  will  do. 
John  Bull  tried  to  rule  us  before, 

He  found  the  Americans  true, 
And  away  ran  the  redcoats  before  them 

And  up  flashed  the  Red,  White  and  Blue. 

CHORUS 

Then  vote  for  our  Tippecanoe, 

Hurrah  for  Ben  Harrison,  too ; 
We'll  pull  down  the  old  red  bandana, 

And  run  up  the  Red,  White  and  Blue. 

186 


Words  cannot  describe  the  scene  after  this  song.  The 
Riverside  papers  said  next  morning:  "It  was  certainly  a 
rouser.  Nothing  like  it  was  ever  before  seen  or  thought 
of  in  this  city.  Citrus  fairs  and  all  others  sink  into 
insignificance.  With  stirring  music  and  with  Harrison 
and  Morton  on  top  and  that  too  without  discrimination 
we  must  win,  and  win  nobly." 

I  am  not  a  poet  by  any  means  and  in  writing  these 
verses  I  was  put  to  my  wits'  end  to  have  suitable  lines 
for  the  occasion.  I  was  but  three  years  old  when 
William  Henry  Harrison  was  elected  president.  My  father 
was  stationed  in  Evansville,  Indiana.  Small  as  I  was 
I'll  never  forget  the  procession  of  Indians  who  frightened 
me  so  I  hid  under  the  bed  and  could  not  be  found  for 
the  day.  When  I  heard  the  grandson  of  Tippecanoe  was 
nominated  I  began  at  once  to  sing  the  old  song  that  was 
used  in  his  grandfather's  time  and  as  I  was  getting  the 
morning  meal  my  son,  William,  and  I  set  to  work  to 
compose  suitable  lines.  How  we  succeeded  you  can  see 
by  the  verses  that  took  the  house  and  every  one  on  the 
platform  by  surprise.  The  cheering  was  deafening  after 
each  stanza  was  sung.  It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that  the 
immense  audience  went  perfectly  wild  with  excitement. 

One  of  the  papers  said: 

"At  the  conclusion  of  her  song,  Hon.  H.  M.  Streeter 
arose  and  addressed  the  immense  throng  and  said,  'I 
thought  I  was  a  true  American  in  spirit  and  a  staunch 
republican  all  these  years,  but  my  patriotism  pales 
this  song  and  the  patriotic  spirit  of  this  splendid  woman. 
I  propose  we  give  three  times  three  cheers  to  Mrs. 
Blake-Alverson'  which  were  given  with  a  vim  that  left 
no  doubts  of  the  sincerity  of  the  enthusiastic  people  who 
gathered  on  this  occasion  and  their  appreciation  of  her 
efforts  in  making  this  demonstration  such  a  stupendous 
success." 

This  was  the  second  rally.  Already  the  Opera  house 
in  San  Bernardino  was  no  longer  adequate  for  the  crowds 
that  assembled  nightly.  Overflow  meetings  were  held  in 
the  streets  each  time.  At  last  we  were  obliged  to  have 
an  amphitheater  prepared  to  accommodate  the  crowds  that 
were  increasing  with  each  rally.  Never  was  such  political 
excitement  in  that  county.  There  was  an  enclosed  stage 
erected  and  a  piano  placed  upon  it  and  each  night 
speeches  were  made  (and  ringing  ones  too)  and  I  think 
all  the  sleepy  mossbacks  were  wide  awake  at  last  and 
realized  that  their  kind  of  Democracy  was  tottering  and 
waiting  for  the  last  blow.  When  Benjamin  Harrison 

187 


was  elected  the  twenty-third  president  of  these  United 
States,  San  Bernardino  county  had  demonstrations  never 
equaled  before  or  since.  Every  man,  woman  and  child 
participated.  Men  from  miles  around  were  in  the  pro- 
cession, features  and  transparencies  of  all  kinds  were 
carried  by  the  marchers.  After  the  procession  they 
adjourned  to  the  amphitheater  for  the  exercises.  My 
voice  had  been  in  constant  use  for  two  or  three  months 
and  at  the  last  moment  I  could  not  sing.  I  had  written 
another  song  to  be  sung  to  the  same  tune,  "Old  Tippe- 
canoe,"  and  the  chairman  was  obliged  to  let  the  people 
know  I  could  not  sing  any  more — the  voice  was  gone. 
Such  a  howl  of  disappointment  went  up.  I  was  obliged  to 
stand  before  them  and  shake  my  head.  I  was  not  even 
able  to  speak  to  them.  At  this  juncture  I  asked  Mr. 
Brown  to  kindly  read  the  verses,  which  were  as  follows: 

We've  voted  and  won  now,  my  comrades, 

The  struggle  decisive  and  strong; 
The  nation's  decided  the  question 

For  our  bold  and  brave  Harrison; 
May  the  nation's  protection  be  blest 

To  the  workingmen's  families  and  homes ; 
John  Bull  can   decide  his  own  problems 

And  call  his  Lord  Sackville  back  home. 

CHORUS 
Then  hurrah  for  our  Red,  White  and  Blue, 

Three  cheers  for  our  Harrison  true; 
May  peace  and  prosperity  bless  us 

For  voting  for  Tippecanoe. 

We'll  veto  no  more  now  in  Congress 

The  bills  that  should  long  have  passed  through ; 
The  Mills  Bill's  a  thing  of  oblivion 

And  its  framer  can  follow  it,  too. 
Then  we'll  carefully  fold  up  the  rag, 

They  flaunted  so  lusty  and  brave, 
And  bury  it  with  the  old  relics, 

'Way  down  in  Salt  River's  deep  wave. 

CHORUS 
Then  hurrah  for  our  columns  so  true, 

Three  cheers  for  Ben  Harrison,  too; 
May  peace  and  prosperity  bless  us 

For  voting  for  Tippecanoe. 

188 


Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  in  costume 

MECHANICS'    INSTITUTE    FAIR 
Mission  Street,  San  Francisco,  Sept.  4,  1879 


The  American  land  is  a  nation 

And  her  people  most  loyal  and  true, 
And  all  others  take  care  how  they  meddle 

Or  insult  her  colors  of  blue. 
San  Berdoo  and  the  counties  around 

Come  in  for  their  share  of  the  fun 
And  have  rolled  up  the  numbers  most  nobly 

And  helped  spike  the  enemy's  gun. 

CHORUS 
Hurrah  for  the  people  so  true, 

Three  cheers  for  Ben  Harrison,  too; 
Secession  can  float  their  bandanas, 

But  the  loyal,  the  Red,  White  and  Blue. 

After  the  excitement  had  somewhat  subsided,  Senator 
Streeter  called  upon  the  platform  seven  veterans  who 
had  voted  for  the  first  Harrison  and  in  a  befitting  speech 
decorated  these  men  with  a  fine  red  silk  badge  and  I 
had  the  honor  to  pin  these  badges  upon  their  coat  lapels. 
As  I  did  so  tears  fell  upon  my  hands  from  the  eyes  of 
these  patriotic  old  men.  I  also  decorated  General  Van- 
devere  and  in  return  he  decorated  me  as  the  historical 
and  patriotic  singer  of  California. 

The  twenty-fourth  president  was  Grover  Cleveland 
who  was  elected  in  1884,  but  was  defeated  in  1888  by 
Benjamin  Harrison,  and  in  1892  was  re-elected  and 
inaugurated  March  4,  1893.  I  did  not  take  an  active 
part  in  this  campaign  as  I  had  never  sung  for  a  Demo- 
cratic president  and  I  would  not  begin  with  Cleveland. 
The  next  president  was  our  beloved  McKinley  and  in  the 
last  campaign  for  him  I  sang  in  the  Mechanics  pavilion  in 
San  Francisco  to  15,000  people.  I  was  then  sixty-four 
years  of  age.  I  was  worried  a  little  that  age  would  tell 
in  such  a  great  place,  but  if  I  failed  it  was  for  a  good 
cause  and  my  country.  I  consented  to  sing  after  much 
persuasion  from  Sam  Booth  and  W.  H.  L.  Barnes.  I 
had  in  all  my  singing  life  never  failed.  I  reluctantly 
consented,  trusting  to  my  knowledge  of  how  to  use  the 
voice.  At  the  appointed  hour  I  was  at  the  pavilion  with 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Case,  my  accompanist.  When  I  came  upon 
the  platform  I  was  cordially  greeted  by  the  old  guard, 
W.  H.  L.  Barnes,  Sam  Booth  and  thirty-five  other  men 
of  the  committee  whom  I  had  met  in  former  years.  After 
taking  in  the  situation  I  was  a  little  disturbed  when  I 
found  the  floor  had  been  left  for  dancing  and  I  was 
obliged  to  sing  to  the  tiers  of  seats  that  arose  as  high 
as  I  could  see  and  all  that  empty  space  to  cross  and  one 
single  voice  to  reach  this  great  mass  of  people.  For  once 

189 


I  felt  my  voice  inadequate  for  the  effort.  In  the 
highest  row  of  seats  were  several  of  my  pupils  and  they 
were  to  give  me  the  signal  that  my  voice  and  words  car- 
ried distinctly.  I  was  requested  to  sing  Vive  1'Amer- 
ica,  the  old  civil  war  favorite  song.  I  arose  when  an- 
nounced amid  a  most  tremendous  recognition  from  the 
people  of  San  Francisco.  I  was  so  excited  I  forgot  my 
age  and  began  my  song.  I  had  sung  but  one  line  and  on 
looking  up  I  saw  the  signal  and  it  aroused  me  to  my  best 
efforts  which  proved  most  satisfactory.  When  I  finished 
the  policemen's  sticks  pounded  on  the  floors,  the  band 
gave  a  grand  rally,  the  people  applauded  and  for  many 
minutes  nothing  could  be  heard  but  the  deafening  demon- 
stration and  a  recall  was  demanded.  I  sang  Millard's 
Amalia  from  the  Roman  Charioteer  and  finished  with 
the  exultant  B  flat  which  arose  in  the  softest  touch  and 
increased  to  the  fullest  crescendo  and  diminished  to  the 
pianissimo.  At  that  moment  by  a  prearranged  plan,  un- 
known to  me,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  flags  that  ever 
floated  was  unfurled  and  fell  in  graceful  folds  by  my 
side.  I  involuntarily  seized  it  with  my  hands  and  finished 
amidst  one  of  the  greatest  receptions  ever  given  to  any 
prima  donna  in  my  time,  and  I  felt  I  was  not  forgotten 
by  the  people  of  San  Francisco  whom  I  had  served  for 
twenty-seven  years.  They  gave  me  the  honor  to  which 
my  age  and  experience  as  a  singer  and  patriotic  charitable 
worker  in  the  upbuilding  of  California  and  its  institutions 
entitled  me.  Theodore  Roosevelt  became  president  on  the 
death  of  McKinley.  With  his  victory  at  the  next  election 
he  became  the  twenty-sixth  president  of  the  United  States. 
My  practical  work  for  the  Republican  cause  ceased  then. 
My  voice  and  spirit  still  remained  but  the  accident  to  me 
in  1901  put  an  untimely  end  to  my  public  work.  I  have 
sung  for  Decoration  days  and  Fourth  of  July  demonstra- 
tions. My  last  one  was  in  1906  at  the  Macdonough 
theater  and  the  people  of  Oakland  gave  me  a  befitting 
tribute.  From  the  speaker  and  the  twenty-five  uniformed 
soldiers  who  formed  a  half  circle  around  me  to  the 
immense  crowd  that  filled  the  theater  the  applause  for 
Vive  I'America  was  spontaneous.  I  also  sang  Annie 
Laurie,  the  favorite  song  of  every  soldier  who  fought 
in  '61,  a  song  which  was  on  the  dying  lips  of  hundreds 
of  soldiers  who  fell  fighting  and  thinking  of  their  loved 
ones  at  home.  Can  you  wonder  at  the  tears  coming  to 
the  eyes  of  our  veterans  when  the  strain  is  sung  And 
for  bonnie  Annie  Laurie  I'd  lay  me  down  and  dee.  I 
sing  this  song  with  all  the  sincere  feeling  and  personality  * 

190 


that  I  possess.  It  is  a  sacred  song  to  me  for  I  have 
heard  the  story  many  times  as  told  by  the  veterans  since 
the  war.  After  this  final  tribute  of  my  career  The  Oak- 
land Herald  had  this  to  say  next  day:  "The  beautiful 
simplicity  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson's  singing  provoked  tre- 
mendous applause  and  she  responded  to  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  lines  of  Annie  Laurie.  The  Enquirer  said: 
"The  singing  of  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  was  a  revelation. 
It  was  enjoyed  to  the  utmost.  Every  note  rang  clear  and 
pure  and  each  stanza  was  applauded  in  a  most  hearty 
manner.  This  was  especially  true  of  her  rendition  of  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner  in  which  the  enthusiasm  was 
unbounded."  The  effect  of  the  song  was  heightened  by 
the  giving  of  the  ceremony  of  retreat  at  sunset  which  is 
carried  out  in  every  camp  and  garrison  of  the  army  of 
the  United  States.  The  ceremony  was  conducted  by  mem- 
bers of  Co.  A,  Fifth  Infantry,  N.  G.  C.,  under  the  charge 
of  Sergeant  Breveton  and  were  as  follows :  Sergeant  A. 
H.  Jones,  Sergeant  H.  B.  Ongerth,  Musician  J.  W.  Stock, 
Musician  E.  J.  Dow,  Privates  Elmer  Marsh,  F.  Keegan, 
J.  C.  Bowden,  R.  L.  Nichols,  H.  B.  Loveridge,  H  Bond, 
R.  Trethaway. 

In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Enquirer  John 
Aubrey  Jones  said:  "What  an  inspiration  it  was  to 
see  and  hear  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  sing.  Physically 
infirm,  but  vocally  strong  and  pregnant,  her  pure,  limpid 
birdlike  notes  thrilled  and  stirred  the  soul  and  tears  to 
the  eyes  did  unbidden  come.  It  was  eloquence  sublime  set 
to  the  all-subdivining  rhythmical  harmony  of  divine  music, 
rendered  by  a  master  whose  spirit  was  enwrapped.  The 
writer  felt  an  uplift  in  patriotic  fervor  that  was  a  joyous 
inspiration  and  so  doubtless  did  all  whose  privilege  it 
was  to  hear  and  see  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  sing." 

The  Oakland  Tribune  said:  "The  singing  of  the  Star 
Spangled  Banner  by  Mrs.  Blake  Alverson  and  the  oration 
delivered  by  Rev.  Charles  R.  Brown  proved  the  chief 
features  of  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration  held  in  the 
Macdonough  theater  yesterday  morning.  Judge  E.  M. 
Gibson  presided.  Prayer  was  by  Rabbi  M.  Friedlander.  A 
chorus  from  Fausto  by  seventy-five  singers  followed.  The 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  read  by  Attorney  Peter  J. 
Crosby.  Next  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson  stepped  forward  upon 
the  stage  and  reached  the  flag-draped  table  surrounded  by 
twenty-five  uniformed  soldiers,  who  separated  in  the  center 
to  allow  her  to  approach,  then  closed  as  she  passed,  amid 
applause  which  was  deafening,  and  she  could  do  nothing 
but  bow  her  acknowledgment  to  the  audience.  As  she 

191 


sang  Vive  I'America,  in  spite  of  her  years,  her  voice 
rang  out  pure  and  clear.  Again  and  again  she  was  forced 
to  respond  to  encores  and  when  Judge  Gibson  finally  led 
her  off  the  stage  she  was  repeatedly  cheered." 

I  do  not  think  I  would  have  done  quite  so  well  had  it 
not  been  for  an  incident  that  happened  as  I  stepped  upon 
the  stage.  When  I  saw  the  immense  crowd  my  heart 
gave  one  throb  and  I  thought  I  had  made  a  mistake 
coming  there  at  my  age  to  sing.  Like  an  electric  flash  I 
took  in  the  situation  and  said  within  me,  "Dear  Lord,  help 
me  once  more,"  and  in  answering  to  the  repeated  cheers 
I  glanced  downward  to  the  men  in  the  orchestra  and  to 
my  surprise  saw  their  looks  of  sarcasm  as  if  to  say,  "What 
can  that  old  woman  do?"  In  one  instant  my  patriotic 
spirit  was  roused  within  me  and  I  gave  them  a  look  of 
defiance  and  said  within  myself,  "I'll  show  you  boys  what 
she  can  do,"  and  nodded  to  the  pianist  to  begin.  It  took 
just  one  line  of  Vive  TAmerica  to  make  them  sit  up  and 
take  notice.  Every  eye  was  turned  upon  me,  the  leader 
sat  back  in  his  chair  and  folded  his  arms  and  never 
moved  only  to  applaud  with  all  the  rest  between  each 
stanza  and  continued  to  do  so  until  the  song  was  com- 
pleted, and  then  I  received  a  rally  from  all,  tributes  of 
flowers  and  tri-colored  ribbons  floating  in  graceful  loops 
from  them.  I  responded  with  Annie  Laurie,  and  the 
perfect  attention  with  which  it  was  received  was  most 
affecting,  and  I  was  fully  repaid  for  my  efforts,  old  as  I 
was.  I  had  won  the  battle  nobly  and  to  the  people  of 
Oakland  I  give  my  heartfelt  thankfulness  for  their  appreci- 
ation of  my  efforts  to  please  them  in  legitimate  song  and 
show  my  loyalty.  More  honors  awaited  me  at  the  close  of 
the  exercises.  As  I  stepped  from  my  dressing  room  there 
awaited  me  many  prominent  men  and  women  who  came 
back  of  the  stage  to  greet  me  and  take  my  hand.  Among 
them  were  Rabbi  Friedlander,  Major  Sherman,  Alfred 
Wilkie,  Judge  Gibson,  Rev.  Dr.  Brown,  members  of  the 
different  committees,  unknown  to  me.  About  thirty 
minutes  later,  when  I  left  for  my  carriage,  I  found  to 
my  surprise  that  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  theater  was 
crowded  with  men,  women  and  children,  awaiting  my 
coming.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  I  reached  my  carriage. 
I  must  needs  take  the  hands  of  these  well-pleased  people 
who  wished  to  thank  me.  Through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
John  T.  Bell  I  entered  the  carriage  and  was  driven  to 
the  Hotel  Touraine,  where  a  banquet  had  been  prepared. 
When  I  arrived  the  committee  and  members  of  the  chorus 
were  seated  at  the  tables.  I  was  escorted  to  the  table  at 

192 


the  end  of  the  hall,  decorated  with  blossoms,  flags  and 
streamers  and  twelve  uniformed  soldiers  standing  guard. 
During  the  banquet  the  band  played  patriotic  airs  and 
afterward  there  were  short  speeches  by  prominent  men. 
At  the  close  of  the  banquet  the  master  of  ceremonies 
asked  the  assemblage  to  rise  and  give  a  tribute  of  three 
cheers  for  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson,  the  patriotic  singer  of 
Oakland.  This  was  given  with  a  will  and  the  band  played 
America  in  which  we  all  joined.  With  this  song  the 
celebration  was  over  and  my  career  as  a  public  singer  for 
sixty-five  years  for  the  people  of  California  in  the  Golden 
State  by  the  Golden  Gate  of  the  Far  West,  the  grandest 
state  of  all  the  galaxy  of  states,  was  ended. 

While  this  closed  my  public  life,  as  far  as  these  holiday 
observances  went,  I  did  not  give  up  my  music  altogether, 
as  I  had  no  other  way  to  support  myself  and  was  still  in 
possession  of  my  voice  and  my  ability  to  teach  was  estab- 
lished. I  went  right  on  in  the  even  tenor  of  my  way  and 
did  what  I  could  toward  making  it  possible  for  my  pupils 
to  take  a  place  with  those  who  had  succeeded  in  the 
beautiful  art  of  music  and  song.  I  had  now  taught  in 
Oakland  fifteen  years  and  felt  no  uneasiness  as  to  the 
result,  so  I  went  bravely  on  doing  what  I  could.  My 
friends,  the  soldiers  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  felt  their  memorials 
and  installations  were  not  complete  without  their  Daughter 
of  the  Regiment  who  had  never  denied  them  since  1861. 
Persons  make  a  mistake  who  think  they  cannot  do  much 
if  they  fail  in  the  great  achievements  of  life,  but  I  con- 
tend that  the  small  things  are  not  to  be  despised.  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  put  one-sixteenth  part  of  my  engagements 
in  this  book,  but  I  will  illustrate  with  the  G.  A.  R.  and 
tell  how  often  I  have  sung  for  that  organization  alone. 
The  reader  will  then  realize  the  amount  of  work  I  have 
done  for  churches,  fraternal  societies,  missions,  art  classes, 
sewing  classes,  functions  of  all  kinds,  club  functions,  sing- 
ing classes,  holiday  festivals,  assistance  to  the  young  people 
of  the  societies  and  Sunday  schools  of  the  churches  with 
which  I  was  identified,  guilds,  charitable  institutions  and 
private  affairs.  Had  I  not  kept  a  diary  for  all  these  years 
I  never  would  have  known  the  vast  amount  of  work  a 
person  could  do  in  a  short  life. 

From  1861  until  1864  I  did  not  keep  a  diary,  but  saved 
programmes  of  special  events.  When  the  war  started  we 
were  constantly  doing  something  for  the  soldiers.  I  will  tell 
of  an  episode  which  convinced  me  that  the  power  of  song  is 
more  lasting  than  we  realize.  When  the  wounded  men 
were  brought  home  to  the  hospitals  the  different  church 

193 


choirs  were  sent  to  sing  for  the  sick  and  the  dying,  and  at 
the  funerals.  It  seemed  that  each  Sabbath  afternoon  I  was 
administering  to  the  needs  of  the  sick  and  wounded  men. 
In  1862  I  returned  to  California  and  lived  in  Santa  Cruz, 
San  Francisco,  Stockton  and  Oakland.  I  was  the  honored 
guest  of  the  Appomattox  Post,  Captain  Thomas  commanding, 
on  April  26,  1894.  It  was  the  yearly  visit  to  inspect  the  Old 
Soldiers'  Home  at  Yountville.  Mr.  Arbuckle  and  many  of 
the  officers  of  the  G.  A.  R.  were  in  the  party.  I  was  to 
give  the  old  veterans  some  of  the  old  melodies  they  loved. 
We  had  a  full  quartette  of  musical  people  from  the  different 
posts,  and  when  we  arrived  the  large  hall  was  filled  with 
the  veterans.  When  my  name  was  called  upon  the  pro- 
gramme it  was  impossible  to  begin  until  they  had  given  vent 
to  their  enthusiasm.  I  was  in  excellent  voice  and  with  my 
patriotic  spirit  stirred  I  sang  with  a  determined  will  to 
please  once  again,  and  I  certainly  received  a  full  return 
of  appreciation. 

After  the  concert  a  reception  was  held  and  I  greeted 
them  all  as  they  passed  in  file,  and  shook  hands  and 
received  their  expressions  of  pleasure  for  my  songs.  After 
an  excellent  luncheon  we  inspected  the  new  kitchen  and 
dining  hall  recently  completed.  One  of  the  women,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Markwert,  and  myself  inspected  the  new  kitchen  and 
we  came  to  where  one  of  the  old  veterans  was  washing 
the  dishes.  I  said  to  my  friend,  "Well,  this  is  splendid, 
no  one  need  mind  washing  dishes  with  all  these  con- 
veniences." At  that  moment  the  old  man  turned  around 
and  with  his  hands  in  the  dish  water  said  to  me,  "Shure 
it's  a  many  a  long  day  since  I  saw  your  face."  I  looked 
at  him  in  astonishment  and  said,  "My  dear  comrade, 
where  have  I  seen  you  before?"  "Shure  I  was  a  sorry 
looking  man  when  you  saw  me  in  the  hospital  in  Massa- 
chusetts as  helpless  as  a  babe."  "My  dear  sir,  do  you  still 
remember  me?"  "Do  we  forget  the  angels  when  once  they 
visit  us  ?"  Then  he  went  on  with  his  story  until  he  brought 
the  picture  back  to  me  as  if  it  were  yesterday.  Truly  I 
was  convinced  of  the  power  of  song.  He  had  listened  to 
me  when  sick  and  wounded  and  as  his  mind  went  back 
to  the  days  of  '61  he  still  remembered  the  face  and  the 
singer  and  the  song.  After  bidding  him  good-bye  and 
thanking  him  for  his  long  remembrance  of  me,  1  turned 
thoughtfully  away.  As  we  came  upon  the  porch  of  the 
hospital  I  passed  a  middle  aged  man  and  I  nodded 
pleasantly  and  passed  him  by.  As  I  passed  he  said,  "Are 
you  going  to  forget  your  old  postman  of  120  Charles  street, 

194 


Boston?"  I  could  not  reply  for  a  moment,  and  I  looked 
at  him  and  said,  "Are  you  Charles  Blake?"  He  said,  "I 
am."  "What  are  you  doing  here,  are  all  the  Eastern 
soldiers  here  in  this  place?"  "No,"  he  replied,  "Only  two 
or  three  of  us."  "I  was  speaking  to  one  just  now  in  the 
kitchen  who  remembered  me."  "Oh,  yes,  Patrick,  he  was 
in  the  same  place  I  was."  "How  did  you  happen  to  come 
here?"  I  asked  him.  "My  letter  pouch  became  too  heavy 
for  me  to  carry  and  I  asked  to  be  sent  here,  and  I  expect 
to  remain  the  rest  of  my  life."  Truly,  wonders  will  never 
cease,  said  I,  as  we  left  him  and  went  to  the  sick  room. 
There  we  saw  rows  of  beds  all  occupied  except  three  or 
four.  At  the  head  of  the  stairs  we  stopped  to  speak  to 
the  old  veteran  and  inquired  of  his  health.  He  said,  "My 
days  are  short  and  I  am  ready  to  go  at  any  time  now." 
I  said,  "You  were  unable  to  hear  the  music  today?" 
"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  thought  once  or  twice  I  could  catch  a 
sound  of  it,  but  I  could  not  tell."  I  asked  him  if  he 
liked  music  and  he  said,  "Very  much,  and  I  wanted  to 
hear  the  singer  today  for  I  had  heard  her  sing  before 
I  got  bedridden,  when  she  was  a  young  woman,  and  I 
was  so  sorry  to  have  missed  it."  I  said,  "What  song 
would  you  like  best  to  hear,  now  that  you  are  sick,  if  you 
could  hear  anyone  sing  ?"  "The  song  I  have  in  my  mind  now 
is  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee."  I  took  his  wasted  hand  in 
mine  and  stood  at  the  head  of  his  bed  and  sang  to  him  and 
to  all  the  sick  in  the  ward.  After  I  had  finished  a  silence 
was  o'er  all,  save  a  sob  or  two  from  those  who  were 
deeply  affected  by  the  song.  The  nurse  approached  and 
asked  me  if  I  would  sing  Rock  of  Ages  for  one  veteran 
who  was  lying  at  the  other  end  of  the  ward.  I  complied 
and  when  I  had  finished  these  poor  afflicted  men  wanted 
to  thank  me,  so  I  passed  from  one  bed  to  another  and 
said  a  parting  word  to  each,  and  as  I  passed  the  bed  of 
the  old  dying  man,  on  my  return,  he  said  with  tears,  "I 
shall  not  forget  the  song  or  the  singer.  The  memory  of 
both  will  go  with  me  to  the  gates  of  Paradise.  I'll  not 
forget,  good-bye."  He  lingered  for  another  week,  they 
told  me,  and  his  last  words  were  from  the  hymn,  Nearer, 
My  God,  to  Thee. 

I  have  felt  it  my  sacred  duty  to  always  answer  the  call 
of  the  soldier.  It  began  in  1861  and  has  always  been 
listened  to  by  me  since.  I  have  sung  at  many  exercises, 
at  the  Memorial  exercises,  which  began  in  1880,  I  sang 
for  the  George  Thomas  Post.  On  January  18,  1885,  I  was 
at  the  installation  of  post  officers.  Memorial  day  of  that 
year  I  sang  at  the  Metropolitan  hall,  San  Francisco.  In 

195 


1886  I  sang  in  the  same  auditorium,  which  was  packed, 
and  I  sang  there  again  in  1887.  In  1888  I  sang  for  the 
W.  R.  Cornman  Post,  No.  57,  San  Bernardino.  On 
January  5,  1889,  installation  exercises,  and  on  January 
30,  1889,  G.  A.  R.  camp  fire  for  veterans,  I  sang  at  San 
Bernardino.  Returning  to  San  Francisco,  I  sang  at  the 
installation  exercises  in  May,  1889,  on  Memorial  Day.  On 
September  3,  George  Thomas  Post  concert  in  aid  of 
veterans'  families.  In  1890  I  sang  at  the  Sabbath  service 
in  the  Methodist  Church  for  veterans.  On  May  30,  Con- 
gregational Church,  Oakland,  to  a  great  congregation. 
Music  was  furnished  by  thirty  picked  voices.  Alfred 
Wilkie  sang  the  Sword  of  Bunker  Hill;  Vive  1'Amer- 
ica,  and  Tender  and  True  were  sung  next.  As  Cap- 
tain Thomas  remarked,  this  song  was  sung  by  the 
same  singer  in  1861,  twenty-nine  years  before,  when  the 
war  was  on,  and  once  again  to  commemorate  the  brave 
who  died.  On  March  6,  1894,  I  participated  at  a  grand 
rally  and  musical  of  Lyon  post  and  corps.  On  March  15, 
at  Appomattox  corps  and  post  concert;  April  23,  G.  A.  R. 
reception,  Congregational  Church,  Edwin  C.  Seymour  and 
General  W.  H.  L.  Barnes,  speakers,  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson, 
vocalist.  On  April  24,  reception  of  G.  A.  R.  at  Mills  Taber- 
nacle, Governor  Markham  and  staff  present.  The  building 
was  densely  crowded  and  the  enthusiasm  was  marked. 
The  band  played  the  national  anthems.  I  sang  the  Star 
Spangled  Banner  and  Annie  Laurie  amid  the  cheers 
and  tremendous  applause  of  veterans  and  others  present. 
On  April  26  the  Yountville  yearly  visit  to  the  Soldiers' 
Home  was  made  by  the  Appomattox  posts  and  a  concert 
was  given  and  a  general  inspection  of  the  home  was  held. 
On  May  8,  9,  and  22  were  days  of  receptions  and  enter- 
tainments to  raise  funds.  On  May  30  I  sang  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  Berkeley.  On  June  14  I  sang  at  the  tenth 
tenth  anniversary  of  Appomattox  Post  and  on  June  15 
anniversary  of  Lyon  Corps  and  banquet.  On  July  19  I  sang 
at  reception  of  G.  A.  R.  officers  and  their  families  who 
had  assembled  from  other  California  cities  and  the  East. 
August  6,  September  1,  4,  22,  Admiral  Porter  Post  No. 
169,  Lyon  Post,  Cole.  E.  D.,  Baker  Camp  No.  5;  October 
25,  National  Guard  of  California;  November  16,  Flags  of 
all  Nations  concert;  December  11,  Lyon  Corps  entertain- 
ment. In  1895,  January  3,  8,  March  13,  May  30,  July  4, 
July  9,  31,  September  11,  November  13,  were  days  of  in- 
stallation, memorials,  processions  of  importance,  bazaars 
and  concerts.  In  all  I  participated. 

196 


Georgia  Sroufe 

Mrs.  Dollie  Sroufe-Tiffany 

Sophia  Faull     Rose  Faull 


Edith  Beam  Bessie  Graves 

Biddle  Bishop     Ada  Van  Winkle 
Carrie  Bramard,  Birdie  Brainard 

Mrs.  Hattie  Brainard 
Susan  Sroufe 


PUPILS   OF   THE   80's 


In  1896,  January  28,  May  30  and  31,  June  20,  recep- 
tion to  General-in-Chief  Lawlor,  G.  A.  R.,  were  days  to  be 
remembered,  but  of  July  7  I  must  make  special  mention, 
as  it  was  an  honor  that  can  only  come  once  to  a  singer. 
It  was  the  golden  jubilee  of  the  flag-raising  at  Monterey 
fifty  years  before,  a  scene  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  in  which 
I,  with  other  patriotic  people,  participated.  Through  Major 
Edwin  Sherman,  head  of  the  arrangements  committee,  I 
was  engaged  to  assist  in  the  demonstration.  I  had  a 
previous  engagement  with  Frank  Gilder  at  Santa 
Cruz  for  his  concert  a  day  or  two  before  the  flag  raising. 
When  I  arrived  at  Monterey  I  was  met  by  Major  Sher- 
man, wife  and  party  and  escorted  to  the  hotel.  After 
dinner  the  evening  was  spent  with  rehearsals  and  com- 
pleting the  arrangement  for  the  morning's  exercises.  The 
day  of  July  7  was  ideal,  the  air  was  mild  and  the  sun 
came  out  in  all  of  its  splendor  and  the  streets  were  alive 
with  people  who  were  assembling  already  in  preparation 
for  this  great  jubilee.  The  procession  started  promptly  at 
10  o'clock  and  passed  through  the  principal  streets  of  the 
city.  Veterans  of  the  Mexican  war,  sailors  from  the  battle- 
ships that  lay  in  the  harbor,  United  States  soldiers  were 
in  line.  Many  appropriate  emblems,  floats,  and  bands  of 
music  followed.  School  children  symbolizing  the  American 
flag  presented  a  feature  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Across  from  the  first  custom  house  a  large  platform 
had  been  erected  and  upon  this  platform  all  the  performers 
for  the  occasion  were  placed.  At  the  top  the  children 
were  grouped  to  form  the  flag,  a  most  novel  and  beautiful 
sight.  The  officers  of  the  day,  Mexican  veterans,  musicians 
and  speakers  occupied  the  lower  platform.  The  old  custom 
house  opposite,  with  its  high  flag  pole,  the  two  armored 
cruisers  lying  in  the  bay,  the  escort  of  hundreds  of  sailors 
from  the  ships  made  a  never-to-be-forgotten  scene.  At  the 
appropriate  moment  William  P.  Toler,  the  man  who  fifty 
years  before  raised  the  flag  upon  the  same  pole,  amid 
cheers  from  the  multitude  descended  from  the  platform  and 
made  his  way  through  the  crowd  and  ranks  of  the  naval 
battalion  to  where  Lieutenant  Roper  of  the  Monadnock 
stood.  He  escorted  Mr.  Toler  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  old  custom  house,  beneath  the  staff,  while  the  quarter- 
master of  the  Philadelphia  bent  the  American  flag  on  to 
the  halyards  which  were  placed  in  Mr.  Toler's  hand.  At 
this  point  Major  Sherman  called  for  three  cheers  for  Old 
Glory  and  Mr.  Toler,  with  all  the  energy  of  his  youth  and 
his  eyes  sparkling  with  pride  and  patriotic  fire,  grasped  the 
rope  (but  the  halyards  were  stiffened)  and  after  an 

197 


adjustment  of  the  difficulty  the  flag  soon  reached  the  mast- 
head and  was  spread  out  to  the  breeze.  Then  occurred  a 
scene  not  often  witnessed.  The  people  went  wild  at  the 
beautiful  sight.  Hats  and  handkerchiefs  went  flying  into 
the  air.  All  reserve  of  these  military  men  was  forgotten 
in  the  moment  of  patriotic  enthusiasm.  The  two  battle- 
ships anchored  in  the  bay  puffed  forth  the  smoke  from  the 
cannon's  mouth.  The  air  was  filled  with  a  riot  of  sounds 
from  the  crash  of  guns,  multiplying  the  echoes  rising 
above  the  strains  of  the  Star  Spangled  Banner.  It  was  a 
touching  sight  to  see  the  veterans  of  war  behave  like  boys 
let  loose  from  school,  the  children  clapping  their  hands, 
Queen  California  with  her  maids  of  honor  upon  her 
throne  waving  handkerchiefs.  The  sailors  stood  at  atten- 
tion throughout  this  demonstration,  but  when  Mr.  Toler 
turned  to  ascend  the  platform  they  seized  him  and  bore 
him  triumphantly  to  the  grandstand  amid  shouts  and 
huzzas  for  the  midshipmate  of  fifty  years  ago.  After  the 
excitement  was  over  he  bade  them  all  farewell.  This  was 
the  last  public  appearance  of  Mr.  Toler.  He  passed  away 
the  following  year. 

Upon  the  platform  were  gathered  a  number  of  notable 
men.  Major  Sherman  was  orator  of  the  day  and  the  ruling 
spirit  of  this  patriotic  gathering.  Admiral  L.  A.  Beardslee, 
U.  S.  N.,  retired,  was  the  honored  guest  and  spoke  with 
patriotic  fervor  on  this  occasion  of  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  of  the  Sloat  monument  and  flag-raising.  After  the 
address  of  Major  Sherman  the  girls  of  the  living  flag 
sang  with  splendid  effect  the  Star  Spangled  Banner. 
Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Pittsinger  eloquently  recited  an  original 
poem  written  for  this  celebration,  and  was  followed  by  the 
singing  of  Vive  I'America  by  myself,  with  full  spirit 
of  patriotic  fire  and  sweetness  of  song,  which  was  roundly 
applauded.  At  the  close  I  brought  forth  a  small  American 
flag,  which  created  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  responded 
with  Old  Glory,  Flag  of  Liberty.  It  was  some  time  before 
I  was  allowed  to  retire. 

Hon.  H.  C.  Gesford,  grand  president  of  Native  Sons 
of  the  Golden  West,  followed  with  a  telling  speech;  the 
Hon.  Niles  Searles,  vice-president  of  the  California 
Pioneers,  made  a  short  and  witty  speech,  after  which  the 
multitude  joined  in  the  anthem  of  America.  Rev.  O.  E. 
Edmonson,  chaplain  of  the  U.  S.  flagship  Philadelphia, 
pronounced  the  benediction  and  the  great  celebration  of 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  taking  of  California  and 
raising  of  the  American  flag  at  Monterey  by  Commodore 

198 


Sloat  was  ended  and  his  honored  fame  gloriously 
vindicated. 

My  next  work  for  the  Grand  Army  was  at  an  enter- 
tainment, July  14,  1896.  I  was  asked  to  speak  on  the 
theme  of  Old  Glory.  I  made  my  first  speech  in  public 
with  Judge  E.  M.  Gibson,  Mr.  Arbuckle  and  others  who 
were  veterans  on  the  speaking  platform.  In  1897  I  sang 
at  Memorial  Day  exercises;  May  28,  Lincoln's  memorial;. 
December  14,  Lyon  Corps  fete  of  all  nations  closed  the 
engagements  of  this  year,  with  the  addition  of  many 
dollars  finding  their  way  into  the  depleted  treasury.  In 
1898  Memorial  Day  was  the  first  of  the  varied  perform- 
ances of  the  year;  June  25  was  another  departure  from  the 
regular  things  that  took  place  in  the  G.  A.  R.  needs. 
About  eight  or  nine  of  the  patriotic  women,  myself  and 
four  other  singers  of  the  different  corps,  went  to  visit  the 
boys  enlisted  for  the  Spanish-American  war  and  staying 
at  Camp  Merritt  at  the  Presidio.  They  were  awaiting  the 
call  to  the  Philippines.  We  arrived  in  camp  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  visited  the  different  divisions 
and  chatted  with  the  soldiers  until  eight  o'clock,  when  we 
were  due  at  the  tent  where  Captain  Sloat  was  quartered, 
and  his  fine  boys  of  San  Bernardino,  Cal. 

We  assisted  the  boys  in  their  songs  and  listened  to  the 
remarks  by  able  men  and  women  until  nine  o'clock,  when 
Captain  Sloat  addressed  his  men  and  called  upon  me  to 
tell  the  boys  of  our  work  in  1861 — a  new  departure  for 
me.  I  generally  sang  my  patriotism,  but  this  time  it  took 
the  form  of  a  recital  of  events  for  about  fifteen  minutes, 
and  was  listened  to  with  the  greatest  attention.  I  told 
them  of  the  dying  soldiers  who  passed  away  with  the  song 
of  Annie  Laurie  on  their  lips.  Afterwards  I  sang  it  for 
them  and  gave  them  other  songs.  At  the  close  of  my  work 
Capt.  Sloat  made  me  an  offering  in  the  name  of  his  men 
of  the  most  beautiful  tribute  of  roses  and  ferns,  contributed 
by  the  individual  members.  I  received  their  tribute  with 
heartfelt  gratitude  and  appreciation.  We  were  served  with 
refreshments  by  the  hospitable  women  of  the  Red  Cross 
before  returning  to  the  city.  Taps  sounded  at  ten  o'clock 
and  we  departed  for  our  homes.  October  11,  21,  24 
finished  the  entertainments  for  the  year  1898.  In  1899, 
January  5,  the  installation  of  Appomattox  Post  and  corps 
took  place,  followed  on  February  21  with  a  grand  reception 
of  veterans  and  newly  elected  officers  and  their  wives.  A 
musical  program  was  provided  as  usual.  On  May  30  the 
Memorial  services  were  held  in  the  Methodist  Church 
with  suitable  programme.  On  July  11  and  29  the  Relief 

199 


Corps  had  the  usual  entertainment  for  friends.  On  Sep- 
tember 3  memorial  exercises  for  soldiers  who  fell  in  the 
Philippine  war  were  held.  Nothing  special  occurred  in 
1900  until  Memorial  Day,  which  was  celebrated  by  be- 
fitting exercises.  On  June  19  the  Lyon  Corps  had  an 
extra  entertainment.  On  June  23  the  grand  McKinley 
demonstration,  San  Francisco,  closed  the  engagements  of 
the  year  1900.  I  did  not  sing  again  for  the  G.  A.  R. 
until  1903,  because  of  my  accident.  On  March  31,  1903, 
Lyon  Post,  as  a  special  request,  needed  my  services.  On 
August  21  and  December  15,  they  celebrated  Veterans' 
Day,  Lyon  Post  installation.  On  May  12,  1904,  Captain 
Stillwell  wanted  the  boys  to  have  patriotic  singing  in  their 
armory  opening,  and  asked  me  to  sing  for  them  Vive 
1' America.  This  entertainment  and  Memorial  Day,  May  31, 
closed  my  work  for  this  year.  1905  began  with  the  Lyon 
Corps  and  Post  installation.  On  Memorial  Day  I  sang  in 
the  Congregational  Church.  As  I  sang  The  Offering  of 
Flowers  I  quietly  placed  a  wreath  of  roses  over  the  spear 
of  the  flag,  as  it  projected  in  front  of  me  in  the  gallery 
over  the  pulpit,  and  in  an  instant  the  audience  rose  to  their 
feet  in  silent  appreciation  for  my  tribute  to  the  dead, 
comrades  knowing  my  inability  to  go  to  the  cemetery  for 
the  services  there.  At  the  close  of  the  services,  before  I 
could  leave  my  place  in  the  gallery,  many  G.  A.  R.  officers 
and  strangers  paid  their  affectionate  tributes  of  praise  for 
my  services  of  song  and  honor  to  the  dead.  Once  more  I 
was  urged  to  sing  at  the  Macdonough  theater  on  the 
Fourth  of  July  of  that  year,  and  I  received  a  most  enthusi- 
astic reception  from  the  public.  The  banquet  of  Lyon 
Corps  for  the  post,  July  11,  and  the  memorial  services  of 
post  and  corps  for  the  annual  deaths  closed  this  year's 
services.  I  supposed  this  would  be  my  last  public  appear- 
ance, but  in  1906  I  was  needed  at  the  installation  as  usual, 
and  on  the  Fourth  of  July  at  the  Macdonough  theater.  In 
1907  I  sang  at  a  special  reception  to  veterans  and  depart- 
ment officers  of  California  and  their  wives.  Judge  Dibble 
was  most  eloquent  in  his  address,  which  was  enthusiasti- 
cally received  by  the  veterans.  On  July  31  and  August  20 
I  closed  my  G.  A.  R.  work  for  the  year.  In  1908  I  sang 
on  two  occasions,  and  in  1909  I  sang  at  the  Bay  School 
for  Mr.  Crawford,  taking  a  quartette  with  me.  We  gave 
the  children  some  of  the  old  songs  for  the  inspiration  of 
their  patriotic  spirit.  They  in  return  gave  us  the  "Red, 
White  and  Blue"  with  splendid  effect,  led  by  Mr.  Craw- 
ford, who  is  a  patriotic  spirit  among  the  young  in  the 
schools  of  California.  On  July  8  and  November  30  closed 
the  engagements  for  1910  and  1911,  up  to  May  30,  1912. 

200 


How  many  more  times  I  shall  be  able  to  help  the  Boys  in 
Blue  I  do  not  know,  but  as  long  as  I  have  a  musical  note 
left  it  shall  be  to  serve  them. 

My  book  has  already  assumed  such  proportions  that  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  give  many  of  the  interesting  and 
worthy  occurrences  which  have  occurred  in  my  public  life 
as  a  singer.  I  have  sung  for  the  Masonic  lodges,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Rebekahs,  Eastern  Star.  I  have  sung  at  con- 
certs for  the  different  charities,  church  societies,  Christian 
associations,  on  anniversaries  of  special  nature,  at  public 
demonstrations  in  the  school  department,  among  them  the 
tree-planting  by  the  children  of  the  Lincoln  school  and 
demonstration  chorus  singing  by  the  children  in  Mills 
Tabernacle.  I  have  entertained  artists  who  have  come  to 
our  coast  and  sung  in  opera  and  concert.  Madam  Etelka 
Gerster  and  her  company  were  entertained  in  my  home  in 
1884;  the  prima  donna,  Materna,  of  Wagner  fame,  and  her 
tenor,  Ondricek,  and  Madame  Anna  Bishop  and  her 
artists  were  also  my  guests.  I  have  enjoyed  the  friendships 
of  our  artists,  Rudolph  Herold,  Ernest  Hartman,  Prof. 
Trenkle,  J.  H.  Dohrmann  and  hosts  of  others.  When 
Henry  Clay  Barnabee  and  his  opera  company  were  at  the 
Columbia  theater  I  enjoyed  many  hours  of  real  comrade- 
ship, chatting  about  old  times  in  Boston  and  other  artists 
of  our  day.  Emma  Shafter  Howard  made  it  possible  for 
many  musical  people  to  meet  the  celebrated  violinist,  Ysaye, 
a  number  of  years  ago.  It  would  require  many  pages  to 
recount  the  number  of  such  meetings  which  have  taken 
place  during  my  sojourn  in  Boston,  Mass. ;  Cincinnati, 
Ohio;  Oregon,  Victoria,  and  throughout  the  cities  of  Cali- 
fornia. In  San  Bernardino  I  found  during  my  sixteen 
months'  stay  many  prominent  families  who  extended 
their  cordial  support  and  appreciation  and  welcome.  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  mentioning  especially  Mr.  Seth  Marshall 
and  wife,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Addison  Collins,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Perkins. 

On  returning  to  Oakland  I  received  the  right  hand  of 
fellowship  from  Horace  A.  Redfield,  who  visited  me  in  my 
studio,  and  his  wife,  Addie  Lowell  Redfield  and  her  sister 
Mrs.  Gussie  Lowell  Garthwaite.  Through  these  friends  it 
became  known  that  I  had  come  to  this  city  to  reside.  At 
that  time  Mr.  Redfield  was  prominent  as  an  impresario,  a 
musical  critic  and  the  writer  of  the  Lyre  and  Song  column 
in  the  Oakland  Enquirer.  Through  my  singing  in  church 
choirs  and  public  concerts  I  later  made  permanent  friends 
of  many  of  the  good  people  of  Oakland  who  encouraged 
music  of  the  highest  order  in  their  homes.  Mrs.  Gutterson, 

201 


Mrs.  John  L.  Howard,  Mrs.  Emma  Shafter-Howard  were 
among  the  earlier  friends  and  later  in  East  Oakland  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  W.  S.  Goodfellow,  who  are  thoroughly  musical. 
He  possessed  a  fine  tenor  voice  while  his  wife  was  a 
splendid  musician  and  pianist.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to 
gain  their  friendship  while  I  served  the  Church  of  the 
Advent  for  eight  months,  they  being  members  of  that 
diocese.  During  the  life  of  Stephen  W.  Leach,  Mr.  Good- 
fellow  formed  the  Glee  Club  of  friends  who  were  well 
known  singers  and  players.  S.  W.  Leach  was  director  of 
this  club.  It  was  Mr.  Goodfellow's  recreation  from  his 
much  worry  and  work  in  his  profession.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Angus,  Mr.  George  Collins,  wife  and  two 
daughters,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klose  and  Miss  Augusta  Klose 
were  the  friends  who  were  among  the  musical  people  of 
the  club.  It  was  in  1896  I  began  singing  in  the  choir  and 
in  looking  around  for  the  leader  for  the  club  I  was  accepted 
as  soloist  and  leader.  I  was  reluctant  to  do  this,  as  I  well 
knew  the  ability  of  Mr.  Leach,  having  belonged  to  his 
Madrigal  club  long  years  before  in  San  Francisco,  but  my 
good  fortune  lay  in  knowing  how  to  sing  these  English, 
Scotch  and  Welsh  madrigals  and  airs,  many  of  them  so 
familiar  to  me.  For  nearly  three  years  we  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  the  club  and  the  carefully  selected  musical 
library  which  Mr.  Goodfellow  possessed  arid  placed  at  our 
convenience.  It  was  a  delightful  gathering  of  congenial 
friends  and  gave  restful  pleasure  to  our  good  host  and 
charming  hostess  who  made  it  possible  for  us  all  to  benefit 
by  their  generous  hospitality.  These  delightful  weekly 
gatherings  were  only  discontinued  when  Mr.  Goodfellow 
was  obliged  to  rest  from  his  labor  and  travel  for  a  year. 
Our  last  meeting  occurred  February  2,  1900,  when  he  and 
his  wife  left  for  their  tour  of  the  world.  During  their 
absence  changes  had  taken  place  among  the  families.  It 
has  been  my  good  fortune  to  meet  prominent  men  and 
women  in  the  different  cities  where  I  have  lived  who  de- 
voted time  and  money  to  promote  the  best  music  in  their 
home  cities.  By  their  generosity  many  worthy  aspirants 
have  received  encouragement  to  greater  advancement  in 
their  chosen  career  who  perhaps  would  not  have  had 
opportunity  to  be  known  or  heard  otherwise. 


202 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FOUR 


REPERTOIRE   AND   OTHER  DATA.       MUSICIANS   AND   SINGERS   OF 
THE  LAST   CENTURY 

HINKING  it  may  be  of  interest  to  my  read- 
ers and  also  of  some  historical  value,  I  append 
a  list  of  the  halls  and  theaters  as  well  as  the 
churches  where  I  have  sung.  A  list  of  the 
masses,  oratorios,  cantatas,  etc.,  is  also  given. 

I  also  give  a  list  of  the  pastors  of  the  various  churches 

where  I  have  sung. 

HALLS  AND  THEATERS  WHERE  I  HAVE  SUNG 

Alcazar  Hall,  O'Farrell  street. 
B'nai  B'rith  Hall,  O'Farrell  street. 
California  Theatre,  Bush  street. 
Old  Metropolitan  Hall,  Montgomery  street. 
Pacific  Hall,  Bush  street. 
Mechanics  Library  Hall,  Bush  street. 
Sherman  and  Clay  Hall,  Sutter  street. 
Old   Dashaway   Hall,   Post   street. 

Greer's  Hall,  Minna  street,  between  17th  and  18th  streets. 
Western  Addition  Hall,  Mission  street. 
Grand  Western  Hall,  corner  Bush  and  Polk  streets. 
Hamilton  Hall,  corner  Steiner  and  Geary  streets. 
Mission  Music  Hall,  21st  and  Howard  streets. 
Laurel  Hall,  Shiel's  Building,  O'Farrell  street. 
Mission  Opera  Hall,  Grove  and  Laguna  streets. 
Old  Platt  Hall,  Montgomery  street. 
Pacific  Hall,  Howard  street. 
Union  Hall,  Mission  street. 

Masonic  Temple,  corner  Montgomery  and  Sutter  streets. 
Mechanics  Pavilion,  Union  Square. 
Mechanics  Pavilion,  Mission  street. 
Mechanics  Pavilion,  Market  street. 
Knights  of  Pythias  Hall,  Market  street. 
Woodward's  Gardens,  Mission  street. 

Pioneer  Hall,  Fourth  street,  between  Market  and  Mission  streets. 
Metropolitan  Temple,  Fifth  street. 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  Hall,  Sutter  street.    Sang  eight  years  here. 
Wigwam,    political    meetings,    James    G.    Elaine    and    others, 
Stockton  and  Geary  streets. 

Odd  Fellows  Hall,  Western  Addition,  Geary  and  Steiner  streets. 

Mark  Hopkins  Institute,  California  street. 

Odd  Fellows  Hall,  Mission  street. 

Tent  Pavilion,  Mission  street,  back  of  the  old  Palace  Hotel. 

Ixora  Hall,  Mission  street. 

203 


Winter  Garden,  Stockton  street,  between  Sutter  and  Post  streets. 
Ladies'  Relief  Society. 
Protestant  Orphan  Asylum. 

CHURCHES    WHERE    I    HAVE    SUNG 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  1870-1871,  Stockton  street. 

St.  John's  Presbyterian  Church,  Post  street. 

St.  Patrick's  Church,  Mission  street,  March  21,  1869,  1870-1874. 

St.  Mary's,  California  and  Dupont  streets,  1869,  1870;   3  months. 

Congregational  Church,  Dupont  and  California  streets. 

Calvary  Church,  Bush  street. 

Calvary  Church,  Geary  street,  May  7,  1882. 

Fruitvale  Congregational  Church,  Oakland. 

Noe  Valley  Mission,  Noe  Valley. 

Hamilton  Hall  Mission,  Western  Addition. 

Howard  Presbyterian  Church,  Howard  street. 

First  Methodist  Church,  Mission  street. 

Church  of  the  Advent,  Mission  street. 

Church  of  the  Advent,  East  Oakland. 

Powell  Street  Methodist  Church,  Powell  street. 

Green  Street  Church,  Green  street. 

Episcopal  Church,  Stockton  street. 

Larkin  Presbyterian  Church,  Larkin  street. 

O  Habi  Sholom,  Mason  street,  September  15,  1887,  1888. 

Old  Catholic  Mission  Church,  Mission  Street. 

Pilgrim  Congregational  Church,  East  Oakland. 

St.  Brigid's,  Western  Addition,  San  Francisco. 

San  Bruno  Road  Catholic  Church,  1875. 

St.  Ignatius  Church,  Market  street,  1869. 

Notre  Dame,  French  Catholic  Church ;   Organist,  R.  A.  Lucchesi. 

Unitarian  Church,  Geary  street ;    Harry  Hunt,  organist. 

Howard  Street  Methodist  Church;    Martin  Schultz,  organist. 

St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church. 

Trinity  Church,  Powell  street. 

Grace  Cathedral,  corner  California  and  Stockton  streets. 

Alemany,  Bishop,  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church,  California  street, 
San  Francisco. 

Akerly,  Father,  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,  Oakland. 

Anderson,  Rev.  John,  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton  street, 
San  Francisco. 

Anderson,  Rev.  John  Jr.   (assistant),  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Stockton  streets,  San  Francisco. 

Buchard,    Rev.    Father,    St.    Ignatius    Roman    Catholic    Church, 
Market  street,  San  Francisco. 

Baylis,  Rev.  Mr.,  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Barrows,    Rev.     D.     D.,    Calvary    Church,     Bush     street,     San 
Francisco. 

Beecher,   Henry   Ward,   Congregational    Church,   Walnut    Hills, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Bettleheim,  Rabbi,  Jewish,  Mason  street,  San  Francisco. 
Bailey,    Rev.    Mr.,    Congregational    Mission,    Sixteenth    street, 
Oakland. 

Beecher,  Lyman  R.,  Congregational  Church,  Walnut  Hills,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

Bokum,  Rev.  Henry,  Reformed  Church,  Betts  street,  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

Burgess,  Rev.  Dr.,  Congregational  Church,  Dedham,  Mass. 

204 


Mae  Whitney  Gussie  Graves  Mary  R.  Beam 

Mrs.  May  Stewart-Jolly  Mary  Harrold  Mrs.  Louis  Glass 

Elizabeth  Harrold  Nettie  Worden  Mme.  Annie  Tregar 

PUPILS   OF  THE  80's 


Birmingham,  Rev.  Father,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Mission 
street,  San  Francisco. 

Burrows,  Dr.,  School  for  Boys,  Stockton  and  Geary  streets, 
San  Francisco. 

Curry,  Rev.  James,  Emanuel  Presbyterian  Church,  Oakland. 

Cunningham,  Rev.  Dr.  D.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton  street, 
San  Francisco. 

Cool,  Rev.  P.  Y.,  First  Methodist  Church,  Santa  Cruz,  California. 

Cook,  Rev.  Dr.,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Sutter  street,  San  Francisco. 

Cheney,  Rev.  B.  G.,  Baptist  Church,  Washington  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Cox,  Rev.  H.,  Methodist  Church,  Mission  street,  San  Francisco. 

Chapman,  Rev.  Dr.,  Congregational  Church,  East  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Dixon,  Rev.  Frank,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Sutter  street,  San  Francisco. 

Dille,  Rev.  E.  R.,  Methodist  Church,  Fourteenth  and  Clay  streets, 
Oakland. 

Dodge,  Dr.,  Presbyterian  Church. 

Ells,  Rev.  James,  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Edwards,  Rev.  Mr.,  Hamilton  Hall,  Oakland. 

Eston,  Rev.  Giles,  Episcopal  Church,  Santa  Cruz. 

Freer,  Rev.  James,  Congregational  Church,  Santa  Cruz. 

Frisk,  Rev.,  Congregational  Church,  San  Francisco. 

Freidlander,  Rabbi,  Jewish,  Fourteenth  street,  Oakland. 

Gray,  Rev.  Father,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Gibson,  Rev.  M.,  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church,  Jones  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Gerrior,  Rev.  Mr.,  Congregational  Church,  Jones  avenue  and 
East  Fourteenth  street,  Oakland. 

Guard,  Rev.  Thomas,  Presbyterian  Church,  Bush  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Hemphill,  Rev.  John,  Presbyterian  Church,  Geary  and  Powell 
streets,  San  Francisco. 

Hemphill,  Rev.  Joseph,  Presbyterian  Church,  Noe  Valley,  San 
Francisco. 

Hewes,  Rev.  Mr.,  Baptist  Church,  Mission  District,  San  Francisco. 

Horton,  Rev.  Mr.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Fourteenth  and  Franklin 
streets,  Oakland. 

Hagar,  Rev.  E.  W.,  Episcopal  Church,  Stockton,  California. 

Happersett,  Rev.  Mr.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton,  California. 

Jewell,  Rev.  Frank,  Methodist  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Kip,  Bishop  Ingraham,  Grace  Episcopal  Church,  San  Francisco. 

Koenig,  Rev.  Father,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  San  Bernardino. 

Krph,  Rev.  Henry,  German  Reformed  Church,  Betts  street,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

Kroh,  Rev.  Phillip  H.,  German  Reformed  Church,  Stockton  and 
Anna,  Jonesboro,  Union  County,  Illinois. 

Levy,  Rabbi,  Jewish  Synagogue,  Mason  street,  San  Francisco. 

Lathrop,  Rev.  H.  D.,  Episcopal  Church,  San  Francisco  and 
Oakland. 

Lacey,  Rev.  E.  S.,  Congregational  Church,  Dupont  and  Cali- 
fornia streets,  San  Francisco. 

Larkin,  Rev.  James,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Mission  street. 

Law,  Rev.  V.  Marshall,  Episcopal  Church,  East  Oakland. 

205 


McLean,  Rev.  Dr.  D.,  Congregational  Church,  Twelfth  and  Clay 
streets,  Oakland. 

McSweeney,  Father,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Grove  and  Hobart 
streets,  Oakland. 

Morrison,  Rabbi,  Jewish,  Mason  street,  San  Francisco. 

McKenzie,  Rev.  Robert,  Presbyterian  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Morrisey,  Rev.  Father,  St.  Patrick's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  San 
Francisco. 

Machias,  Rev.  James,  Presbyterian  Church,  Geary  and  Powell 
streets,  San  Francisco. 

Myerson,  Rev.  Dr.,  Jewish,  Mason  street,  San  Francisco. 

Mathews,  Rev.  James,  Presbyterian  and  Calvary  Churches,  San 
Francisco. 

McNutt,  Rev.  George  L.,  Congregational  Church,  East  Oakland. 

Nugent,  Rev.  J.  F.,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

O'Brien,  Rev.  W.  J.,  Episcopal  Church,  San  Bernardino. 

O'Connor,  Rev.  Father,  St.  Patrick's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  San 
Francisco. 

Palmer,  Rev.  Mr.,  Congregational  Church,  Oakland,  California. 

Pittblado,  Rev.  Dr.,  Calvary  Presbyterian  Church,  San  Francisco 
and  New  York. 

Patterson,  Rev.  Mr.,  Presbyterian  Church,   Stockton. 

Rust,  Rev.  Henry,  German  Reformed  Church,  Betts  street,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

Rader,  Rev.  Wm.,  Congregational  Church,  Oakland  and  San 
Francisco. 

Reed,  Rev.  S.  F.,  Presbyterian  Church,  San  Francisco;  came 
from  Victoria. 

Smith,  Mathew  Hale,  Presbyterian  Church,  San  Francisco; 
came  from  New  York. 

Scott,  Rev.  Dr.,  Presbyterian  Church,  San  Francisco;  came  from 
Glasgow,  Scotland. 

Stone,  Dr.  A.  L.,  Congregational  Church,  Mason  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Sprecher,  Rev.  Dr.,  Presbyterian  and  Calvary  Churches,  San 
Francisco. 

Silcox,  Rev.  Dr.,  Congregational  Church,  East  Oakland. 

Simmons,  Rev.  Dr.  (1852),  Methodist  Church,  Stockton. 

Starr-King,  Rev.,  Unitarian  Church,  Stockton  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Stebbins,  Rev.  Horatio,  Unitarian  Church,  Geary  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Scott,  Rev.  W.  A.,  D.  D.,  LL.  S.,  St.  John's  Presbyterian  Church, 
Post  street,  San  Francisco. 

Stockman,  Father,  Roman  Catholic  Church,  San  Bernardino, 
California. 

Scudder,  Rev.  Dr.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Talmage,  Rev.  DeWitt,  Presbyterian  and  Calvary  Churches,  San 
Francisco  and  New  York. 

Thompson,  Rev.  J.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Upchurch,  Rev.  J.,  Methodist  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco  (Eastern  minister). 

Wood,  Rev.  James,  Presbyterian  Church,  Stockton. 

206 


Woodbridge,  Rev.  Sylvester,  First  Presbyterian  Church,  Benicia. 

Wadsworth,  Rev.  Dr.,  Calvary  Presbyterian  Church,  Bush  street, 
San  Francisco. 

Wendte,  Rev.  Mr.,  Unitarian  Church,  Oakland. 

Williams,  Rev.  Albert,  Presbyterian  Church;  founder  of  the  first 
Presbyterian  Church  of  San  Francisco. 

Wheeler,  Rev.  O.  C,  Baptist  Church,  San  Francisco. 

Willey,  Rev.  H.  S.,  Presbyterian  Church,  Mission  street,  San 
Francisco. 

Weber,  Archdeacon,  Episcopal  missioner  at  Church  of  the  Ad- 
vent, East  Oakland. 

ORATORIOS    AND    CANTATAS    I    HAVE    SUNG    IN    BOSTON,    SAN 

FRANCISCO,    SACRAMENTO,    STOCKTON,    OAKLAND, 

SAN   BERNARDINO  AND   SANTA    CRUZ 

David. 

Saul. 

St.  Paul. 

Moses  in  Egypt,  by  Rossini. 

Creation,  Hayden. 

Messiah,   Handel. 

Samson,  Handel. 

Elijah,  six  different  times. 

Israel  in  Egypt,  Handel. 

Stabat  Mater,  Rossini. 

Racine's  Athalie,  Mendelssohn  Bartholdy. 

Paradise  and  the  Peri. 

Schumann's   Cantata. 

Erlking's   Daughter,   Miles  W.   Gade. 

First  Walpurges   Night. 

Daughter  of  Jarius,  J.  Stainer. 

God,  Thou  Are  Great,  L.  Spohr. 

Esther. 

Baumbach's  Collections  Sacred  Music. 

Mosenthal's  Quartettes — church  and  home  collection. 

Sacred  music  sung  in  San  Francisco,  Oakland,  Santa  Cruz, 
San  Bernardino,  and  other  cities  in  California  and  United  States. 

All  of  Sudd's  collections. 

Millard's  collection  of  songs  for  Sunday  school  children, 
Episcopal  service. 

While  in  Boston  I  was  a  member  of  the  Edwin  Bruce  United 
Choir  Chorus,  composed  of  the  best  soloists  of  the  day. 

Dr.  Burgess'  choir  of  Dedham. 

Newton  Musical  Association. 

Bowdoin  Street  choir,  200  voices,  and 

Church  of  the  Unity  choir. 

We  formed  an  operatic  bouquet  of  artists.  All  through  the  war 
we  gave  concerts  for  the  volunteer  soldiers  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  Our  repertoire  consisted  of  choruses  from: 

II  Trovatore  Solo  and  choruses  from  Lucrezia 

Norma  Borgia,  Donizetti 

Martha   _  Solo     and     choruses     from     II 

Semiramide  Templario,  Nicolai 

Cecilian  Vespers,  Verdi  Quintette    and    chorus,    Martha, 

Lucrezia  Borgia  Flotow 

207 


Miserere,  II  Trovatore,  Verdi  Chorus,   La  Fille   Du   Regiment, 
Les  Huguenots  Donizetti. 

Bohemian  Girl  Chorus,  Maritana,  Wallace 

Puritani  I.  Lombardi,  Verdi 

Charity,  Rossini  Trio  and  chorus,  Attila,  Verdi 

Masaniello  Solo  and  chorus,  Martha,  Flotow 
Chorus,  Donizetti,  The  Martyrs 

MASSES    T    HAVE   SUNG    IN    THE   DIFFERENT    CATHOLIC 
CHURCHES   IN    CALIFORNIA 

Mozart's  12th. 

Hayden's  6th  in  B  flat. 

Mercedanti,  three-voice  mass. 

Hayden's  3d  in  D. 

Mozart's  mass  in  C,  No.  1. 

Hayden's  in  C,  No.  2. 

Farmer's  mass  in  G. 

Hayden's  3d  in  D. 

Mozart's  No.  7. 

Hayden's   8th. 

Peter's  mass  in  E  flat. 

Hayden's  16th  in  B  flat. 

Concone,  three-voice  mass. 

Roeder's  mass.     Sung  July  5th,  1874,  for  first  time. 

Weber's  mass  in  G. 

Mozart's  16th  mass,  St.  Mary's  church. 

Weber's  mass  in  E  flat. 

Beethoven's  in  C. 

Mozart's  No.  1. 

Mozart's  No.  7. 

Bach's  mass  in  B  minor  for  five  voices.     Sung  April  17th  at  St. 

Patrick's. 
Hayden's  No.  1. 
Millard's  mass. 
Hayden's  16th  mass  in  B  flat. 
Schubert's  2d  mass  and  vespers. 
Schubert's  3d. 
Schubert's  4th. 
Hayden's  3d  mass  in  D. 
Weber's  mass  in  G. 
Beethoven's  mass  in  C. 
Mozart's  vespers  in  C  dur. 
Mozart's  No.  1. 
Mozart's  No.  2. 
Mozart's  No.  3. 
Buchler's  vespers. 
Mozart's  9th  requiem. 
Mozart's  4th  mass  and  vespers. 

Mozart's  5th  mass.     (Sung  on  June  20th  at  dedication  of  new 
organ  which  the  choir  aided  in  purchasing.) 

MASSES    SUNG    IN    1869 

March  20,  began  singing  in  St.  Patrick's  church. 
Candlemas  Day,  St.  Ignatius  church   (Market  street),  Mozart's 
Twelfth. 

March  15th,  Notre  Dame  school. 

208 


Lillian  Jory 
Chelice  Beretta 
Cloy  Bouton 


Mabel  Caswell 
Dr.  Addison  Collins 
Etta  Pollard 


Daisy  Pollard 

Sue  Stewart 

Mrs.  Minnie  M.  Collins 


PUPILS  OF  THE  80's   AND  90's 


April  4th,  St.  Patrick's. 

April  llth,  18th  and  27th,  requiem  mass. 

May  2d,  St.  Patrick's.  i 

August  29th,  St.  Mary's. 

October  7th,  September  6th,  requiem  at  St.  Mary's. 

October  21st,  requiem  at  St.  Patrick's. 

October  26th,  requiem  at  St.  Patrick's. 

November  2d,  5th  and  27th,  requiem  at  St.  Patrick's. 

December  5th,  19th,  and  23d,  St.  Patrick's. 

Eighteen  Mozart  masses. 

Requiem  bravis. 

Sixteen  Hayden  masses. 

Lambilot,  First  Mass  in  D. 

Beethoven,  two  masses,  one  in  C  and  one  in  D ;  very  difficult. 

October  31st,  Weber's  E  flat  (mostly  sung). 

Schubert's  five  masses. 

On  All  Saints'  Day,  1870,  we  sang  Rossini's  "Solenelle  Requiem" 
with  16  solo  voices  and  a  full  orchestra,  and  35  in  chorus. 

I.  J.  Paine  of  Boston,  first  mass ;  very  difficult. 

Bach's  masses. 

Peter's  smaller  masses   (complete). 

Cherubini's  masses   (complete). 

Choir  in  St.  Patrick's  during  these  years  were :  Soprano,  Mrs. 
Urig,  Miss  Louisa  Tourney,  Mrs.  Young  and  Mrs.  Taylor;  mezzo- 
soprano,  Mme.  Bianchi  and  Mrs.  Herman;  mezzo-contralto,  Mrs. 
M.  R.  Blake;  contralto,  Ella  Steele;  tenor,  Mr.  Buch;  bass,  Mr. 
Schnable. 

MASSES    SUNG    AT    ST.    PATRICK^    CHURCH,    MISSION    STREET, 

1870 

December  24th,  Midnight  mass. 

December  25th,  repeated  Christmas  Day. 

December  27th,  requiem. 

January  27th,  requiem  at  8 :30  a.  m. 

June  25th,  mass. 

June  26th,  mass  and  vespers. 

July  7th,  requiem  at  8 :30. 

July  10th,  Mercedanti,  four-voice  mass. 

July  17th,  Mozart's  mass. 

July  27th,  requiem  at  8:30. 

July  31st,  Lambalott  mass. 

August  21st,  Weber's  mass  E  flat. 

August  28th,  Farmer's  mass. 

August  18th,  Beethoven's  mass  in  C. 

September  4th,  Beethoven's  mass  in  C. 

September  20th,  requiem  at  8:30. 

September  25th,  Beethoven's  mass  in  C. 

October  2d,  Mozart's  mass  No.  1,  vespers  at  six  o'clock. 

October  3d,  requiem  at  8:30  a.  m. 

October  7th,  requiem,  Mission  Dolores. 

October  8th,  requiem  at  8 :30,  St.  Patrick's. 

October  9th,  Mozart's  mass  No.  1. 

October  13th,  requiem  at  8 :30. 

October  16th,  Mozart's  7th  mass  and  vespers. 

October  23d,  Hayden's  No.  1  vespers  (black  book). 

October  30th,  Beethoven's  mass  in  C. 

209 


October  31st,  benediction  at  church  All  Saints'  Day.     Requiem 

and  chants.    Rossini's  "Solenelle"  for  first  time  in  California. 
November  1st,  Beuhler's  mass. 
November  2d,  requiem,  All  Souls'  Day,  2  p.  m. 
November  3d,  benediction  evening.    I  sang  solo. 
November  3d,  sang  requiem  at  10  a.  m. 
November  6th,  Hayden's  Sth  mass.    Benediction. 
November  18th,  requiem  at  8 :30. 
November  20th,  Mozart's  mass  No.  2. 
November  27th,  repeated  same  mass. 
December  4th,  Farmer's  mass. 
December  llth,  repeated  mass. 
December  18th,  Mozart's  mass  No.  2. 
December  19th,  20th,  21st,  rehearsal  with  orchestra. 
December  24th,  midnight  mass. 
December  25th,  repeated  midnight  mass. 

SOLEMN  HIGH   MASS  FOR  POPE  PIUS  IX,   1880 

Rev.  Father  Bingham  officiated  as  celebrant.  Deacon, 
Rev.  T.  Larkin,  sub-deacon  Rev.  J.  P.  Nugent,  Rev.  P.  J. 
Gray  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies.  Father  Gray  delivered 
a  brief  discourse  on  the  life  and  character  of  Pope  Pius 
IX.  The  music  by  the  choir  was  of  high  order  and  excel- 
lently rendered.  The  selections  included  Introit,  Dies 
Irae,  Lacramosa,  Sanctus,  Benedictus,  Agnus  Dei  and 
Lux  Aeterna — all  from  L.  Cherubini's  compositions.  Offer- 
tory, Domini  from  Verdi  and  Libera  from  Palestrina. 
Artists  were: 

Soprano — Miss  Brandel,  Miss  C.  Bush. 
Contralto — Mrs.  M.  Blake,  Signora  Bianchi. 
Tenor — Signer  Bianchi  and  Signor  Meize. 
Bass — Mr.  Stockmyer  and  Mr.  Yarndley. 
Organist — J.  H.  Dohrmann. 
Full  orchestra,  thirty  pieces. 

MASSES  SUNG  IN  ST.  PATRICK^  CHURCH,  1873  AND  1875 

Mozart's  12th. 
Hayden's  6th  in  B  flat. 
Mercadanti,  three-voice. 
Hayden's  3d  in  D. 
Mozart's   No.   1  in  C. 
Hayden's  No.  2. 
Farmer's  mass  in  B  flat. 
Weber's  in  G. 
Hayden's   3d   in   D. 
Mozart's  No.  7. 
Hayden's  mass  No.  8.  , 
Peter's  mass  in  E  flat. 
Hayden's  16th  in  B  flat. 

MASSES   SUNG   IN   ST.    MARY'S   CHURCH 

Mozart's  12th. 
Farmer's  in  B  flat. 
Weber's  in  E  flat. 

210 


MASS  SUNG  IN  ST.  IGNATIUS  CHURCH 
Mozart's  12th  in  C. 

MASS  SUNG  IN  THE  FRENCH   CHURCH 
Weber's  mass  in  G. 

MASSES  SUNG   IN    1874 

June  20th,  Mozart's  5th  mass. 
June  21st,  Concone's  three-voice  mass. 

July  2d,  a  high  mass  for  wedding  at  10  a.  m.;  full  choir  and 
orchestra. 

July  Sth,   Roeder's  mass. 
July  12th,  requiem. 
July  17th,  requiem. 
July  19th,  Mercadante  mass. 
July  26th,  repeated  the  mass. 
July  29th,  requiem. 
August  2d,  Peter's  mass. 
August  Sth,  requiem. 
August  9th,  Roeder's  mass. 
August  llth,  requiem. 
August  14th,  requiem. 
August   15th,   Holy  Thursday. 
Hayden's  16th  in  B  flat. 
Schubert's  2d  mass  and  vespers. 
Schubert's  3d  mass. 
Schubert's  4th  mass. 
Hayden's  3d  in  D. 
Weber's  Mass  in  G. 
Beethoven's  in  C. 
Mozart's  vespers  in  C  dur. 
Mozart's  1st  and  2d  mass. 
Mozart's  3d  mass. 
Buchler's  vespers. 
Mozart's  9th  requiem. 
Mozart's  Sth  mass. 
Mozart's  12th,  6th,  7th  and  Sth. 
Mozart's  9th 
Hayden's  6th  in  B  flat. 
Mozart's  No.  1  in  C. 
Hayden's  No.  2  in  C. 
Farmer's  mass  in  B  flat. 
Hayden's  Sth. 
Peter's  mass  in  E  flat. 

GRAND  HIGH  MASS  AT  ST.  PATRICK'S  CHURCH,  1881 
April  17th,  Easter  Day. 

CHOIR 

Miss  H.  Brandel,  soprano  Signora  Bianchi,  messo-soprano 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto  Signer  Bianchi,  tenor 

F.  Shoenstein,  bass 
Music  rendered : 
Vide  Aquam,  V.  Novello. 
Veni  Creator,  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake. 
"Alma  Vergo,"  Mrs.  Brandel. 

Mass  in  B  minor  (five  voices),  John  Sebastian  Bach.     Sung  for 
the  first  time  in  San  Francisco. 

211 


J.  H.  Dohrmann,  master  and  organist. 

Romberg's  Te  Deum — Orchestra. 

J.  K.  Paine,  mass. 

W.  A.  Leonard's  mass  in  B  flat,  four  voices. 

Regina   Coeli    (Paola  Giorza). 

April  8th,  extra  Easter  music — violin,  organ,  voice. 

1888 

October  28th,  Concone  mass.    Vespers  at  4  p.  m. 

November  20th,  requiem — Father  Koenig — Father  Stockman. 

December  2d,  Bordeuse  mass. 

December  8th,  requiem  at  8:30. 

December  22d,  Bordeuse  mass. 

1889 

January  1st,  Bordeuse  mass. 
January  6th,  part  of  three  masses. 
January  13th,  Werner's  mass. 
January  20th,  Bordeuse  mass. 
January  27th,   Peter's  mass. 
February  17th,  Bordeuse  mass. 

February  24th,  high  mass — Millard's  mass,  second  time. 
March  3d,  mass,  Concone.    Vespers  at  4  p.  m. 
March  10th,  Peter's  mass.    Vespers  at  4  p.  m. 
March  24th,  third  Sunday  in  Lent,  Gregorian  chants. 
March  31st,  Gloria  and  Kyrie  from  Easter  mass. 
April  7th,  Werner's  mass.    Vespers  at  4  p.  m. 
April  14th,  Palm  Sunday,  Millard's  mass. 
April  19th,  Good  Friday,  requiem  from  green  book. 
April  21st,  Easter  Sunday,  Buchler's  mass  and  vespers. 
April  25th,  sang  for  the  Sodality  in  the  afternoon    (Sisters  of 
Mercy). 

April  30th,  closed  my  engagements  at  this  church. 


EARLY  MUSICIANS  OF  CALIFORNIA 

1852 — Mary  Matilda  Kroh,  organ,  piano,  Stockton,  Cal.,  from  Cin- 
cinnati, O. 

1853 — H.  B.  Underbill,  organ,  piano,  Stockton,  from  New  York. 
1853 — Paul  Pioda,  Benicia  Female  Seminary,  from  Italy. 
1853 — Mary  E.  Woodbridge,  piano,  organ,  Benicia  Female  Seminary. 
1853 — Emily  Wash,  piano,  Benicia  Female  Seminary. 
1854 — Johanna  Lapfgeer,  piano  and  organ,  Benicia  Female  Seminary. 

FIRST  CHOIR  OF  SINGERS,  1852 

Mary  Matilda  Kroh,  organist  Wm.  W.  Trembly,  tenor 

Emma  Jane  Kroh,  soprano  H.  Noel,  tenor 

Sarah  Rebecca  Kroh,  soprano  Geo.  H.  Blake,  tenor 

Margaret  R.  Kroh,  alto  Wm.  Belding,  bass 

Mary  Matilda  Kroh,  alto  Amos  Durant,  bass 
James  Holmes,  bass 


212 


Mrs  Wm.  E.  Blake  Margaret  Oakes 

Ethel  Jones  Everett  S.  Dowdle  Josie  Crew 

Mrs.  Chas.  Lessig  Louisa  Crossett  Grace  La  Rue 

PUPILS  AND  ACCOMPANISTS  OF  THE  90's 


1853 

Lucy  Grove,  soprano  The  Ainse  Family  (Castilians), 

Mary  Newell,  soprano  Lola,  Anita,  Belana,  Leonore, 

Lizzie  Fisher,  alto  (1852) 

Jennie  Grove,  alto  H.   B.   Underbill,    organist  and 

Sam  Grove,  tenor  piano  (1854) 

Wm.  H.  Cobb,  tenor  Louisa  Falkenburg,  pianist 

James  Holmes,  bass 

EMINENT  SINGERS,  1854 

Anna  Thillon's  corps  of  artists  were : 
Julia  Gould  Mr.  Hudson 

S.  W.  Leach  Geo.  Loder,  director 

Mr.  Ronconvieri 

MUSICIANS    WHO    CAME    LATER    IN    THE    FIFTIES 

Beutler,  Prof.,  piano  Loring,  D.  W.,  Loring  Club  leader 

Bodecker,  Louis,  piano  Linden,  Otto,  piano 

Bosworth,  H.  M.,  piano,  organ  Little,  Geo.  C,  organ,  piano 

Batkin,  I.,  piano,  organ  Mayer,  James  C,  organ 

Bulle,  Ole,  violin  virtuoso,  1854  Mayer,  D.  Samuel,  organ,  piano 

Brandt,    Herman,    -violinist,    ar-  Mundwyler,  John,  bassoon,  double 

rived  1894  bass 

Blankart,  Otto,  violinist  Mundwyler,  Louis,  oboe,  clarionet, 
Blake,  Geo.  L.,  cornet  and  drum,      violin 

French  horn  Mundwyler,  Fred,  trombone,  viola 

Coggins,  I.  O.,  cornet  McDougall,  W.  J.,  organ,  piano 

Dohrmann,  J.   H.,  piano,  organ,  Mansfeldt,    Hugo,   pianist  virtu- 
harmony,  composer  oso,  1873 

Dellepiane,  F.,  piano,  organ  McCume,  Chas.,  piano 

Eaton,  Prof.,  organ,  composer  Oettl,  Julius,  piano 

Espinosa,  Signer,  organ  Pettinos,  George,  organ,  piano 

Evans,  George,  organ  Pipers,  Fritz,  violin 

Fabbri,  Mulder,  organ  Paddock,  Nellie,  piano 

Foley,  Prof.,  violin  Rosenberg,  A.  A.,  piano 

Gee,  George,  piano,  organ  Rosewald,  Prof.,  violin 

Homier,  Louis,  piano,  violin  Sabin,     Wallace,     piano,    organ, 
Hunt,  Harry,  organ  and  piano          composer 

Hartmann,  Ernest,  piano  Schmidt,  Louis  Sr.,  violin  leader 

Hemme,  Prof.,  piano  Schmidt,  Louis  Jr.,  violin 

Heyman,  Henry,  violin  Schmidt,  Ernest,  violin 

Hefferman,  Prof,  leader  of  band  Schmidt,  Clifford,  violin  cello 

Herold,   Rudolph,  piano  Schmidt,  Alice,  piano 

Hinrichs,  Julius,  violincello  Simonson,  Martin,  violin  virtuoso 

Hinrichs,  August,  violin,  leader  Scott,  Gustave,  piano  and  organ 

Hinrichs,  Gustave,  piano  Stedman,  H.  S.,  organ,  piano 

Hartdegan,  Prof.  A.,  violincello  Sewell,  Prof.,  organ,  piano 

Herzog,  Theo.,  violin  Schultz,    Charles,   pianist.     Cali- 
Herold,  Oscar,  piano,  leader  fornia  Theater  leader. 

Holt,  Prof.,  organ  Schlott,  Ernest,  French  horn 

Koppitz,  George,  flute  Schmitz,  Christof,  French  horn 

Koppitz,  Henry,  arranger  of  music  Schmitz,  Joseph,  Leader 

Kohler,  Dick,  cornet  Spadina,  Prof.,  clarionet  and  di- 
Kuhne,  Arnold,  piano,  organ  rector 

Katzenbach,  Fred'k,  piano,  organ  Solano,  Mauro,  harp,  piano,  cello 

Lisser,  Louis,  pianist  Seward,  William,  organ,  piano 

213 


Stadfeldt,  Jacob,  piano  and  singer  Von  der  Mehden,  L.,  cornet,  flute, 

Sleuter,  Prof.,  piano  violin 

Schultz,  Martin,  organ,  piano  Wand,  Prof.,  piano 

Seib,  Prof.,  organ,  piano  Weil,  Oscar,  piano  composer 

Trenkle,  Joseph,  piano  Wysham,  Clay,  flute 

Toepke,  Wm.,  piano  Yarndley,  T.  R.,  organ 

Uhlig,  Robert,  violin  Zech,     August,     pianist,     Royal 

Urba,  Prof.,  horn  Court   of  Leipsic 

WOMEN    PIANISTS 

Beutler,  Clara,  piano  Dillaye,  Miss,  piano,  organ 

Blankart,  Theresa  Mrs.,  piano  Jaffa,  Madam,  piano 

Bacon,  Alice  M.,  piano  Cottlow,  Augusta,  piano  virtuoso 

Carmichael,  Carr,  piano  Lada,  Madam,  piano 

Carusi,  Inez,  piano  and  harp  Tojetti,  Madam,  piano 

Cohen,  Madam  Waldo,  piano 

WOMEN   SINGERS   OF  EARLY   YEARS,   60'S   AND   70'S 

Abby,  Mrs.  A.,  mezzo  soprano          Mills,    Louisa,   prima    donna,   so- 
Biscaccianti,  Mme.  E.  (nee  Eliza      prano 

Ostinello),    coloratura    singer,  Melville,  Emily,  prima  donna,  so- 
soprano  prano 

Brambrilla,  Signora  Elvira,  prima  Menans,    Madam,    soprano    (St. 

donna,  soprano  Patrick's) 

Bianchi,  Signora,  mezzo  soprano   Moore,  Hattie,  soprano  (opera) 
Bishop,  Mme.  Anna,  prima  donna,  Mohrig,    Ida    Semminaro,    mezzo 

soprano  soprano 

Blake,  Margaret  M.,  mezzo  con-  Northrup,    Elizabeth,    mezzo   so- 

tralto  prano 

Beutler,  Clara,  soprano  Neilson,  Alice,  soprano  (opera) 

Beutler,  Ida,  mezzo  Orlandini,  Gabriela,  soprano  (op- 

Beutler,  Emma,  contralto  era) 

Bateman  Sisters,  in  1854  Parker,  Elizabeth,  soprano 

Bowden,  Mrs.  Anna  Shattuck,  jo-Pierce,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  soprano 
prano  Rightmire,  Sallie,  contralto 

Buthen,  Mrs.,  soprano  (St.  Pat-  Rosewald,  Julia,  prima  donna  so- 

ricks)  prano   (opera) 

Carusi,  Inez,  soprano  Shattuck,  Anna  B.,  soprano 

Cowen,  Safa  Tate,  soprano  Sconcia,  Madame,  soprano 

Campbell,  Mrs.  Marriner,  colora-  Stone,  Kate,  contralto 

tura  soprano  Schultz,  Susan,  soprano 

Chisolm,  Mrs.,  contralto  States,  Agatha,  soprano 

Cameron,  Mrs.  soprano  Taylor,  Mrs.,  soprano  (St.  Pat- 

Escott,   Lucy,   prima   donna,  so-      rick's) 

prano  Tourney,   Louisa,   soprano    (St. 

Elzer,  Anna,  prima  donna,  con-      Patrick's) 

tralto  Thursby,    Louisa,    prima    donna, 

Fabri,  Inez,  prima  donna,  soprano      soprano 
Gerster,  Etelka,  prima  donna  so-  Uhrig,   Mrs.,   soprano    (St.   Pat- 

prano  rick's) 

Galton,  Susan,  lyric  soprano  Van  Brunt,  Mrs.  R.  A.,  soprano, 

Gould,  Susan,  contralto  (Calvary  Church) 

Howard,  Etna,  soprano  Valerga,  Ida,  mezzo-soprano   (op- 

Keen,  Laura,  soprano  era) 

Little,    Sarah    Watkins,    soprano  Wilson,  Alice,  soprano 

(1864)  Wetherbee,  Nellie,  mezzo-soprano 

Leach,  Georgiana,  soprano  Williams,  Mrs.   Barney,  soprano 

Lester,  Louisa,  soprano  Young,  Mrs.  soprano   (St.  Pat- 

rick's) 

214 


1896 

McDonough,  Luckstone,  piano      Frantz,   Ondricek,   famous   tenor 
Materna,  Amelia,  famous  prima 
donna 

MEN    SINGERS    IN    EARLY   DAYS 


Adler,  Herman,  baritone 
Bianchi,  Signer,  tenor 
Borneman,  Fred,  bass 
Bettencourt,  J.  de  S.,  tenor 
Campbell,  Walter,  bass  (1859) 
Clark,  Benjamin,  tenor  (1854) 
Coch,  S.  W.,  bass 
Dugan,  Charles,  baritone 
Duffy,  Thomas,  baritone 
Elliott,  Washington,  tenor 
Formes,  Karl,  basso  pro/undo 
Fuchs,  Prof.,  tenor 
Freedburg,  A.,  tenor 
Gates,  Harvey,  tenor 
Goe,  Dr.  S.  E.,  tenor 
Hughes,  D.  P.,  tenor 
Howard,  Frank,  baritone 
Kelleher,  Alfred,  tenor 
Langstroth,  J.  A.,  tenor 
Lyster,  Fred,  tenor 


Leach,  Stephen  W.,  baritone 
Mayer,  Samuel  D.,  tenor 
Morley,  Signer,  tenor 
Makin,  Cornelius,  bass 
Mancusi,  Signer,  baritone 
Maguire,  Joseph,  tenor 
Nesfield,  D.  W.  C,  baritone 
Otty,  Major  W.  N.,  tenor 
Reuling,  Signer,  baritone 
Richel,  M.  D.,  basso  profundi 
Squires,  Henry,  tenor  primo 
Stadfeldt,  Jacob,  basso 
Stockmyer,  Herr,  basso 
Tippetts,  J.  E.,  tenor 
Trehane,  John,   tenor 
Wilder,  Dr.  A.  M.,  tenor 
Wetherbee,  Henry,  tenor 
Williams,  Barney  (1854),  tenor 


Sabin,  Wallace  A. 
Metcalf,  John  W. 


CALIFORNIA  COMPOSERS 

Koppitz,  Gee. 
Lejeal,  Alois 
Dohrmann,  J.  H. 


215 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FIVE 


EARLY  CALIFORNIA  REMINISCENCES  OF  MUSICIANS 
AND  SINGERS 

RUDOLPH   HEROLD 

HE  FIRST  famous  orchestra  leader  in  San 
Francisco  was  Rudolph  Herold,  born  in  Prus- 
sia, Germany,  March  29,  1832,  and  died  in 
San  Francisco,  July  25,  1889.  He  received 
his  musical  education  at  Leipsic  Conservatory 
with  Plaidy  and  Moscheles,  his  teachers  on  the  piano,  and 
Mendelssohn,  teacher  of  the  theory  of  music  and  compo- 
sition. 

He  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  1852  as  solo  pianist 
and  accompanist  with  the  famous  Catherine  Hayes.  He 
saw  opportunities  in  this  young  city  for  fostering  and 
cultivating  good  music  and  remained  here  until  his  death. 
He  was  closely  identified  with  every  important  musical 
event  up  to  the  time  when  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis 
three  years  preceding  his  death. 

In  the  early  fifties  he  organized,  under  the  patronage 
of  Harry  Meiggs,  who  was  an  ardent  lover  of  music,  the 
San  Francisco  Philharmonic  society  and  rendered  such 
important  works  as  Elijah,  St.  Paulus,  by  Mendelssohn, 
Mass  Requiem,  by  Mozart,  The  Desert,  by  Felician  David, 
etc.,  etc.  He  also  organized  the  famous  San  Francisco 
Harmonic,  a  singing  society  for  male  voices.  He  was 
organist  at  St.  Mary's  Cathedral  and  the  First  Uni- 
tarian Church  for  over  twenty  years  and  Temple  Emanuel 
for  twenty-five  years.  He  had  full  charge  of  the  great 
musical  festival  in  1870,  given  by  Camilla  Urso  in 
aid  of  the  Mercantile  Library  fund  and  conducted  at 
the  second  festival  given  by  Sumner  Bugbee  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Carl  Zerrahn  of  Boston.  He  conducted  all  the 
earlier  Italian  opera  seasons  given  by  Bianchi  at  the  old 
Metropolitan,  Maguire's  opera  house.  In  1874  he  organ- 
ized his  Symphony  orchestra  and  continued  his  concerts 
without  financial  backing  up  to  the  time  of  his  illness, 
producing  the  standard  symphonic  works  of  the  old 
masters  and  also  those  of  the  more  modern  composers, 
such  as  Schuman,  Rubinstein,  Raff,  Brahms  and  St.  Saens. 

216 


J.    H.   DOHRMANN 

Mr.  Dohrmann,  a  native  of  Hesse,  Germany,  took 
his  first  piano  lesson  when  but  six  years  old.  At  the 
age  of  eleven  years  he  had  made  such  remarkable  progress 
that  his  parents  sent  him  to  a  seminary  at  Homburg  to 
further  develop  his  musical  talent  and  other  studies.  Dr. 
Wilhelm  Volekmar,  an  eminent  organist,  pianist  and 
accomplished  musician,  was  the  head  of  the  musical 
department.  Under  his  tuition  he  became  a  brilliant 
pianist  and  a  good  organist.  He  was  an  indefatigable 
student,  not  only  in  music  but  also  languages — the  founda- 
tions of  which  were  laid  there.  After  remaining  a  few 
years  there,  his  parents  decided  to  emigrate  to  America 
and  came  to  San  Francisco,  where  a  son  had  preceded 
them  in  1854. 

Dohrmann  went  to  school  there  to  perfect  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  English  language,  and  continued  his  studies 
in  music,  harmony,  theory  and  instrumentation  for  some 
time,  under  the  guidance  of  Prof.  R.  Herold,  and  later 
alone,  when  compelled  to  live  in  the  country  on  account 
of  failing  health. 

In  1857  he  located  in  Sacramento,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  then  went  to  San  Jose,  where  he  was  successful 
as  a  teacher,  also  as  director  of  singing  societies.  How- 
ever, being  ambitious  to  associate  with  better  musicians, 
and  to  be  in  a  greater  field  for  music,  in  1861  he  came 
to  San  Francisco.  There  he  soon  became  a  favorite 
with  the  musicians  as  a  pianist.  In  1862  he  made  his 
advent  as  pianist  in  a  theater  of  which  he  became  the 
leader  of  the  orchestra  later.  Since  then  he  has  been 
the  musical  director  in  a  number  of  theaters  in  San 
Francisco — Metropolitan,  Montgomery  street;  American, 
Sansome  street;  Alhambra  (later  Bush  Street  Theater); 
Shiels  Opera  house,  Bush  street;  Platts  Hall,  Mont- 
gomery street;  a  few  performances  at  the  California 
Theater,  in  1876;  Grand  Opera  House,  Mission  street; 
Winter  Garden,  Post  and  Stockton  streets;  Tivoli,  Eddy 
street ;  in  Oakland,  Oakland  Tivoli ;  Cameron  Hall,  Four- 
teenth street;  Oakland  theater,  later  Coliseum,  Twelfth 
street;  also  was  director  of  the  Oakland  Harmonic 
society  until  he  became  director  at  the  Grand  Opera 
House,  San  Francisco.  Became  organist  at  St.  Patrick's 
church,  March,  1864,  then  located  at  the  corner  of  Annie 
and  Market  streets,  San  Francisco,  later  on  Mission 
street.  Held  that  position  until  May,  1899.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  musical  career  he  has  resided  in 
Oakland,  where  he  is  still  busy  as  a  teacher. 

217 


I.  G.  Drebler,  in  April,  1910,  desired  him  to  accept 
the  chair  of  musical  director  and  critic  of  the  Technique 
System  Conservatory  of  Music,  Los  Angeles.  His  business 
of  so  many  years'  standing  could  not  be  properly  adjusted 
for  him  to  accept  this  advantageous  offer  and  he  still 
continues  his  musical  instructions  in  his  home  studio, 
Eighth  street,  Oakland,  and  San  Francisco. 

RICHARD    CONDY 

Mr.  Condy  was  from  Philadelphia.  I  never  knew  with 
whom  he  studied,  but  I  can  safely  say  he  was  a  thor- 
ough musician.  In  1856  he  organized  the  first  brass  band  in 
Stockton  and  was  identified  with  it  for  four  years.  He  was 
unexcelled  as  an  E  flat  cornet  player  and  played  several 
instruments  with  great  artistic  skill.  He  was  also  a 
most  beautiful  flute  player.  All  the  years  of  his  residence 
he  was  closely  allied  with  the  advancement  of  the  best 
music  in  Stockton.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  third  regi- 
ment of  cavalry  and  became  the  leader  of  the  cavalry 
band.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  became  a  prominent 
member  of  Rawlins  Post,  G.  A.  R.  He  also  stood  high 
in  Odd  Fellowship.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Lizzie 
Fisher,  my  early  companion,  the  only  daughter  of  Alvin 
Fisher,  who  with  his  brother,  Samuel  Fisher,  ran  the 
first  stage  coach  line  into  Stockton.  She  came  to  Stock- 
ton from  the  East  in  1854  and  sang  with  me  in  the 
Episcopal  choir.  Being  a  fine  alto  singer  she  was  gladly 
welcomed  among  the  musical  colony  of  Stockton.  Condy 
died  November  3,  1903,  and  was  deeply  mourned  by  many 
sincere  friends  who  honored  and  esteemed  him.  With  his 
death  the  last  of  the  pioneer  musicians  are  gone.  He  is 
survived  by  Mrs.  Condy  and  three  sons. 

FREDERICK  KRAUS 

Mr.  Kraus  was  born  in  Basel,  Switzerland,  in  1827. 
He  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  1851.  He  was  not 
only  a  fine  musician  but  also  took  an  active  part  in 
civic  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the  Vigilance  commit- 
tee, of  the  Empire  Engine  Company,  volunteers,  and 
also  belonged  to  the  Swiss  sharpshooters.  He  was  a 
familiar  figure  in  those  societies,  very  few  parades 
were  formed  without  Fred  Kraus,  and  his  company 
of  sharpshooters,  or  as  the  leader  of  the  Sixth  Regi- 
ment band.  He  was  every  inch  a  soldier  and  marched 
with  his  stately  body  erect,  with  dignified  step,  proud  of 
his  companions  and  his  band  of  fine  musicians.  He  also 

218 


belonged  to  the  Musicians'  union  for  many  years.  He 
answered  his  last  call  January  16,  1912.  Five  children 
survive  him. 

SARAH   P.   WATKINS-LITTLE 

Miss  Watkins  was  born  in  the  little  town  of  Mend- 
ham,  N.  J.,  July  10,  1842.  She  came  to  California 
in  1859  and  to  Oakland  on  the  day  before  Christmas. 
The  following  year  she  was  engaged  to  sing  soprano  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  church.  After  two  and  one-half 
years  there  she  went  to  Calvary  Church  where  she  sang 
for  another  two  and  a  half  years  and  then  went  to  the 
Unitarian  Church,  where  Rev.  Dr.  Stebbins  preached. 
In  1864  she  was  married  to  William  C.  Little. 

Geo.  F.  Pettinos  was  organist  in  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church;  Mr.  Anderson  was  tenor,  Emily  King,  now 
Mrs.  K.  S.  Latham,  contralto,  and  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson 
contralto. 

The  choir  in  Calvary  Church :  Organist,  Gustave  Scott ; 
large  choir  with  quartette,  Washington  Elliott,  leader. 

Choir  Unitarian  Church:  Rudolph  Herold,  organist; 
Mr.  Wunderlich,  superb  basso;  Mr.  Mitchell,  tenor;  Miss 
Fisher,  alto;  Mrs.  Little,  soprano. 

She  was  much  interested  in  the  oratorio  society,  Handel 
and  Hayden,  in  which  she  took  part  in  Oakland,  and  was 
soprano  at  St.  John's  Church,  following  Mrs.  Shipman. 

When  Dr.  Eells  came  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Oakland  she  had  charge  of  the  choir  and  was  the 
soprano.  She  raised  about  $1500  toward  the  purchase 
of  an  organ  for  the  church.  She  took  part  in  solos  when 
Creation  was  given  there. 

When  Hattie  Crocker  Alexander  presented  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  San  Francisco  with  a  large 
organ,  Mrs.  Watkins  raised  money  and  purchased  the 
original  organ  for  Plymouth  Church  of  Oakland  and  it  is 
now  in  use  in  that  church.  The  first  choir  was  as  follows : 
Emily  King,  contralto;  Mr.  Anderson,  tenor;  Sallie  Little, 
soprano;  George  Pettinos,  organist. 

After  two  and  a  half  years  she  went  to  Calvary 
Church.  Mr.  Elliott  was  leader  of  the  choir  and  Gustave 
Scott,  organist ;  Dr.  Wadsworth,  pastor.  Mrs.  Little  now 
lives  in  Oakland  with  her  daughter,  who  is  also  a  gifted 
singer  and  a  teacher  of  voice. 

WALTER   CHAUNCY   CAMPBELL 

Mr.  Campbell,  basso,  was  born  at  Sacketts  Harbor, 
St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  October  30,  1838.  His 
parents  removed  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1842  and  he 

219 


was  graduated  from  the  high  school  in  1854.  He  left 
New  York  October,  1858,  for  California  via  Straits  of 
Magellan,  arriving  at  San  Francisco  July  2,  1859.  After 
spending  two  years  in  placer  mining  he  returned  to  San 
Francisco  in  1861.  He  joined  the  Handel  and  Hayden 
society  under  its  first  conductor,  Mr.  Oliver  of  Boston, 
and  commenced  the  cultivation  of  his  voice  in  oratorio 
with  Stephen  W.  Leach  and  in  German  with  Mr.  J.  B. 
Butler,  father  of  Mrs.  Clara  Tippett,  well  known  soprano 
who  left  this  city  for  Boston  some  twenty-five  years 
ago  where  she  was  soprano  of  the  Old  South  Church  for 
a  great  many  years.  After  studying  with  them  for 
several  years  he  went  to  New  York  City  to  live  with  his 
father  and  continued  his  study  of  vocal  music,  commenc- 
ing with  some  of  the  prominent  Italian  teachers  who  were 
so  pleased  with  his  voice  that  they  wished  him  to  study 
for  grand  opera,  but  not  liking  their  methods  of  teaching 
he  finally  secured  a  teacher  who  did  him  the  most  good, 
Mr.  Phillip  Meyer,  a  German  and  a  fine  baritone  singer, 
who  after  a  year's  teaching,  allowed  him  to  make  his 
debut  at  Irving  hall,  at  an  afternoon  recital  at  which  a 
celebrated  pianist,  Mr.  Wehli,  just  arrived  from  Europe, 
made  his  first  appearance  in  America.  His  success  was 
great  enough  to  induce  Mr.  Lafayette  Harrison,  a  well 
known  manager  to  engage  him  to  sing  at  the  opening  of 
Steinway's  new  hall  in  June,  1867,  at  which  concert 
Mile.  Parepa  made  her  first  appearance  in  America.  She 
afterwards  became  Madame  Parepa-Rosa.  They  were  both 
under  engagement  to  Mr.  Harrison  for  the  season,  singing 
in  oratorio  and  concerts  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

After  the  summer  of  1867  he  returned  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  was  engaged  as  basso  at  Howard  Presby- 
terian church.  He  remained  there  several  years,  then  went 
to  First  Unitarian  Church  where  he  sang  for  seven  years 
and  then  went  to  Grace  Cathedral.  He  sang  there  for 
ten  years  and  then  took  charge  of  the  choir  at  the 
Calvary  Presbyterian  Church,  resigning  March  1,  1906, 
after  eight  years  of  service.  During  all  those  years  he 
was  known  throughout  the  coast  as  the  San  Francisco 
basso.  He  made  one  tour  of  British  Columbia,  Wash- 
ington, a  territory  then,  Oregon  and  California  with 
Madam  Anna  Bishop.  He  made  another  tour  of  Cali- 
fornia with  Madam  Camilla  Urso,  the  violiniste,  and  a 
second  tour  of  the  northwest  with  Charles  Kohler,  Charles 
Vivian  and  Mrs.  Blake-Alverson.  He  sang  in  all  of  the 
oratorios  given  by  the  Handel  and  Hayden  society  of 
San  Francisco  as  bass  soloist,  Creation,  St.  Paul, 

220 


Ada  Koch 
Geo.  G.  Peterson 


Lauretta  Shaw 

Bessie  G.  Newell 

Mrs.  Grace  E.  Dobbins-Ames 


Susan  Culver 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Case 


PUPILS  OF  THE  90's 


Elijah,  Samson,  Mendelssohn's  Hymn  of  Praise  and 
Messiah.  He  also  sang  as  basso  of  the  Temple  Emanuel 
from  1874  to  1888,  thirteen  consecutive  years,  and 
was  the  basso  profundo  of  that  celebrated  male  quar- 
tette, The  Amphions,  composed  of  Joseph  Maguire, 
H.  J.  Tippett,  Jacob  Stadfeldt,  Campbell  and  Harry  Hunt, 
pianist.  Upon  the  death  of  Joseph  Maguire  in  1878  the 
quartette  disbanded  as  we  were  unable  to  fill  his  place. 
While  singing  at  the  First  Unitarian  Church  the  choir 
was  composed  of  Mrs.  Marriner,  soprano;  Miss  Sallie 
Rightmire,  alto;  Joseph  Maguire,  tenor;  W.  C.  Campbell, 
basso.  The  soprano  and  bass  were  united  in  the  holy 
bonds  of  wedlock  and  are  still  living  happily  together. 
Having  given  up  concert  singing  for  several  years  past, 
Mr.  Campbell  still  retains  his  magnificent  voice  which 
gives  great  pleasure  to  those  who  hear  him.  His  voice 
has  a  range  of  two  and  one-half  octaves  from  high  F 
to  low  B  flat,  a  remarkable  range  at  the  present  time. 

FREDERICK  ZECH,  JR. 

Mr.  Zech,  pianist  and  composer,  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  and  came  here  with  his  family  in 
1860.  He  began  his  musical  studies  early  in  life.  He 
made  such  progress  in  his  studies  that  later  he  went  abroad 
and  studied  from  1882  to  1887.  While  in  Berlin  he  became 
a  private  pupil  of  Theodore  Kullack.  He  began  to  teach 
in  1878.  His  first  academy  was  the  New  Academy  of  the 
Tone  Art  in  Berlin.  Before  going  abroad  he  had  con- 
ducted symphony  concerts  and  recitals  and  was  a  success- 
ful teacher,  also  composed  many  beautiful  compositions  in 
serious  music,  two  symphonic  poems  and  orchestral  music 
and  conducted  the  same  successfully. 

HENRY    HEYMAN 

Sir  Henry  Heyman  is  the  dean  of  coast  violin- 
ists, and  occupies  one  of  the  highest  positions  as 
a  conscientious  artist  and  a  most  successful  teacher. 
His  beginning  was  under  the  direction  of  Frederick 
Buch,  a  noted  instrumentalist  of  his  time.  He  studied 
a  number  of  years  in  Leipsig  under  such  famous  teachers 
as  Ferdinand  David,  E.  F.  Richter,  E.  Rontgen,  Fred 
Herman,  Carl  Reinke  and  S.  Jadassohn.  During  his 
studies  abroad  he  was  prize  graduate  at  the  Royal  Con- 
servatory of  Music  in  Leipsig.  On  returning  to  his 
home  in  San  Francisco  he  organized  the  Henry  Heyman 
String  Quartette.  With  his  own  company  he  gave  con- 
certs all  over  the  coast  cities  as  far  north  as  Victoria, 

221 


B.  C.,  and  as  far  south  as  Honolulu,  on  which  occasion 
he  was  knighted  by  King  Kalakua,  who  made  him  Knight 
of  the  Royal  Order  of  the  Star  of  Oceanic,  also  solo 
violinist  to  His  Majesty,  an  honor  he  fully  appreciates. 
Sir  Henry  is  a  vice-president  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Violinists  of  London,  also  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Bohemian  Club,  and  the  Family,  the  latter  one  of  San^ 
Francisco's  most  exclusive  organizations.  Apart  from 
his  great  success  as  a  teacher  and  concert  leader  he 
occupies  a  unique  position  in  the  social  and  musical  life 
of  the  city.  He  still  teaches  and  acts  as  musical  director 
at  all  great  functions.  He  is  also  an  intimate  friend  of 
all  the  European  and  American  celebrities,  including 
Paderewski,  Joseph  Hoffman,  Ysaye,  Kubelik,  Elman, 
Joseffy  and  many  others  who  visit  San  Francisco  as 
artists  and  are  entertained  by  Sir  Henry.  Many  noted 
composers  have  dedicated  their  works  to  him.  As  director 
and  honorary  secretary  of  the  San  Francisco  Institute  of 
Art,  Sir  Henry  comes  closely  in  touch  with  the  younger 
generation  of  musical  aspirants — many  of  the  best  violin- 
ists of  today  are  proud  to  call  themselves  his  pupils.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  eight  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  Bologne  (Italy)  university,  he  was  made 
corresponding  member  of  the  musical  section  for  Cali- 
fornia. He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Guild  of 
Violinists  and  later  has  been  the  recipient  of  many  honors 
here  and  abroad  from  those  who  appreciate  him  as  a 
musician  and  genial  friend  to  those  who  know  him  best. 

MRS.    LOUISA    MARRINER-CAMPBELL 

Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell  was  born  and  educated  in 
Waterville,  Maine.  She  was  one  of  the  early  musical 
people  who  came  here  and  has  lived  in  this  state, 
especially  San  Francisco  since  the  early  sixties.  Of  her 
early  musical  life  I  know  nothing,  it  was  only  through 
our  musical  life  in  California  that  we  became  known  to 
each  other  and  always  have  been  loyal  friends.  The 
first  time  I  ever  saw  and  heard  her  was  at  Dr.  Lacy's 
church  when  the  Handel  and  Hayden  society  gave  the 
Creation.  She  sang  the  solo  parts  and  I  never  have 
forgotten  her  or  her  singing.  She  was  gowned  in  a 
stylish  robe  of  some  soft  clinging  wine-colored  material 
and  her  blonde  hair  was  done  up  in  a  soft  coil  on  the 
crown  of  her  head.  At  her  throat  was  a  soft  frill  of 
lace,  becomingly  arranged  and  finishing  the  picture,  leav- 
ing a  lasting  impression,  which  was  still  more  strength- 
ened by  her  beautiful  singing,  for  which  she  received  the 

222 


most  hearty  reception.  Her  voice  was  exceedingly  high 
and  her  trills  were  like  a  bird's  in  their  perfect  oscillations 
and  accurate  touch,  showing  her  perfect  control  of  the 
vocal  organs.  At  that  time  she  was  Mrs.  Marriner. 
Several  years  after  her  husband's  death  she  became  Mrs. 
W.  C.  Campbell.  She  and  her  husband  have  both  been 
extremely  popular  in  all  undertakings  of  a  musical  nature. 
She  was  the  highest  salaried  singer  of  her  time  and  fore- 
most in  all  musical  advancement  twenty-five  years  ago. 
Her  musical  career,  which  has  been  exceptionally  well- 
balanced  and  harmonious,  is  like  a  statue  of  fine  propor- 
tions that  beckons  the  young  to  emulation.  Mrs.  Campbell 
confines  herself  entirely  to  teaching  the  young  people  of 
San  Francisco  and  is  acknowledged  as  a  teacher  par 
excellence.  She  has  studied  abroad — in  England,  France 
and  Italy,  and  during  the  years  of  the  seventies  was 
coached  by  the  famous  prima  donna,  Madam  Anna  Bishop, 
receiving  from  her  all  the  traditions  of  the  English  school 
and  particularly  the  oratorio  traditions.  She  is  still  in 
California  and  happy  both  in  her  home  and  occupation  of 
developing  the  young  voices  of  her  city.  While  abroad 
Mrs.  Campbell  studied  with  Errani,  Albites  and  Muzio,  a 
nephew  of  Verdi. 

SAMUEL   D.    MAYER 

Mr.  Mayer,  organist  and  tenor,  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, May  13,  1866,  from  New  York  City  where  he  was 
organist  of  Calvary  and  other  churches  and  solo  tenor 
of  Trinity  Episcopal  Church.  The  Sunday  following  his 
arrival  he  commenced  his  duties  as  tenor  of  Trinity 
Episcopal  Church  in  San  Francisco  where  his  brother, 
James  C.  Mayer,  was  at  that  time  the  organist.  Con- 
tinuing in  that  position  until  May  1,  1868,  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  position  of  organist  in  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church,  Oakland,  remaining  there  until  May  1,  1872, 
when  he  was  appointed  organist  and  tenor  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  San  Francisco,  serving  in  this 
dual  capacity  for  forty  years.  He  relinquished  the  posi- 
tion of  tenor  but  continued  to  act  as  organist  and  musical 
director  and  on  May  1,  1912,  he  will  have  completed  forty 
years  of  consecutive  service  in  this  church. 

MRS.   J.   M.  PIERCE 

Mrs.  Pierce  has  been  identified  with  the  history  of  music 
in  San  Francisco  since  the  early  days.  Born  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  losing  her  mother  when  she  was  but  five 
years  of  age,  her  father,  Mr.  Samuel  Cameron,  brought 

223 


her  to  California  across  the  Isthmus,  to  place  her 
in  the  loving  and  motherly  care  of  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Eugene  Doyle,  who  had  one  daughter  of  almost  the 
same  age.  These  cousins  afterward  became  very  well 
known  in  the  public  school  and  church  histories  by  their 
duet  singing,  Ida  Doyle  and  Maggie  Cameron  being  in 
demand  on  all  important  public  festivals.  On  the  night 
of  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  when  the  father  and  little 
daughter  reached  the  home  on  Rincon  Point,  then  the 
best  residential  part  of  San  Francisco,  where  a  hearty 
welcome  awaited  them,  the  little  five-year-old  child  was 
told  to  "sing  for  her  new-found  relatives"  and  with 
pale  face  and  dressed  in  deep  mourning  even  to  a  little 
black  silk  bonnet,  for  the  lost  mother,  she  sang  Lily 
Dale  and  Old  Dog  Tray  while  all  listened  with  tears 
and  astonishment  to  the  sympathetic  voice,  and  an  uncle, 
Mr.  James  Cameron,  exclaimed,  "It's  not  a  child,  it's  a 
witch."  In  the  old  Rincon  school,  so  famous  for  its 
splendid  teachers  and  also  many  scholars  who  afterwards 
became  famous  in  California  history,  Maggie  Cameron 
was  called  Hail  Columbia  because  her  voice  could  lead 
the  singing  of  the  entire  school  so  strongly.  In  the  old 
high  school,  corner  of  Bush  and  Stockton  streets,  under 
the  leadership  of  Mr.  Ellis  Holmes,  who  was  a  devotee 
of  music  and  himself  possessed  of  a  rich  bass  voice, 
Miss  Cameron  developed  into  a  public  singer,  doing  her 
first  solo  work  on  the  "musical  days"  of  the  Girls'  High 
School. 

She  was  a  pupil  of  Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell  five  con- 
secutive years,  singing  with  her  teacher  in  duets  all  over 
the  state;  of  Otto  Linden  in  sight  reading;  Mme.  Rose- 
wald,  operatic  repertoire,  and  of  Richard  Mulder,  husband 
of  Inez  Fabbri.  Mr.  Mulder  called  Mrs.  Pierce  "his 
most  distinguished  pupil." 

At  this  time  she  was  also  soprano  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church  on  Washington  street,  Dr.  Cheney,  pastor.  This 
historic  old  church  afterwards  became  a  Chinese  theater. 
Before  graduation  from  school  Miss  Cameron  accepted 
the  position  of  soprano  in  the  choir  of  Rev.  Dr.  A.  L. 
Stone's  church,  corner  of  Dupont  and  California  streets. 
Dr.  Geo.  H.  Powers  was  the  organist.  While  in  this 
church  Miss  Cameron  was  married  to  Mr.  James  M. 
Pierce. 

Soon  after  this  Mrs.  Pierce  accepted  the  position  of 
soprano  at  the  Church  of  the  Advent,  Rev.  Mr.  Lathrop, 
pastor;  Louis  Schmidt,  organist.  After  two  years  she 
joined  the  choir  of  the  Plymouth  Church,  which  celebrated 

224 


Clara  Avan  Hattie  Derby 

Mrs.  Emma  D.  Monnet-Swalley      Lillian  Gushing 
Dr.  J.  B.  Wood  Minnie  Peterson 

PUPILS,    1896-1900 


Charlotte  Zimmerman 
Pauline  Peterson 
Edward  Thomas 


its  golden  anniversary  January  12,  1912,  Rev.  T.  K. 
Noble,  pastor.  She  was  a  member  and  the  soprano  of 
this  flourishing  church  for  five  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pierce  and  their  two  children  then  took  a  trip  East  with 
the  intention  of  making  Boston  their  home,  but  the 
longing  for  California  was  too  strong  and  after  an 
absence  of  two  years,  during  which  time  Mrs.  Pierce  was 
soprano  in  the  largest  Congregational  Church  of  Freetown, 
Mass.,  they  returned  to  California  where  Mrs.  Pierce 
again  resumed  her  church  and  concert  work,  singing  in 
the  Church  of  the  Advent,  Mr.  Lathrop,  and  after 
eighteen  months  in  Grace  cathedral,  Dr.  William  Platt, 
rector,  and  William  Whittaker,  organist,  where  she 
remained  as  soprano  six  years.  The  fine  instruction  she 
had  received  as  a  singer  enabled  Mrs.  Pierce  to  hold 
several  important  positions  as  teacher,  being  several  years 
at  the  Perry  Seminary  in  Sacramento  and  also  at  the 
Irving  Institute,  San  Francisco,  under  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Church.  She  had  a  large  class  of  pupils,  many  of  whom 
hold  important  positions  today.  The  position  of  soprano 
of  the  First  Unitarian  Church,  then  the  largest  and  most 
fashionable  congregation  in  San  Francisco,  being  offered 
Mrs.  Pierce,  she  accepted  it,  and  was  for  ten  years  in  this 
very  happy  connection,  Dr.  Horatio  Stebbins,  pastor,  Mr. 
Louis  Schmidt,  Mr.  J.  Humphrey  Stewart  and  Mr.  Henry 
Bretherick,  the  present  incumbent,  being  organists.  At 
this  period  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierce  gave  up  their  home  in 
San  Francisco,  which  had  always  been  recognized  for 
its  hospitality  and  charming  musical  atmosphere,  always 
welcoming  and  entertaining  the  musicians  of  the  city 
and  new  arrivals,  and  removed  to  Berkeley  to  enter  their 
son  and  daughter  into  the  University.  Here  Mrs.  Pierce 
again  took  up  the  leadership  in  the  Unitarian  church  choir, 
then  being  held  in  Stiles  hall  and  until  the  new  church 
was  built  she  sang  but  after  the  service  of  dedication  of 
the  church  she  resigned,  the  singing  being  of  a  congre- 
gational form  and  led  by  a  baritone  voice.  At  clubs 
and  parlor  receptions,  Mrs.  Pierce  is  still  a  favorite  ballad 
singer  and  is  always  greeted  with  appreciation  and  pleas- 
ure, for  her  voice  though  not  so  powerful  as  in  its  prime, 
still  exemplifies  the  value  of  her  early  training  and  fine 
method  of  pure  Bel  Canto.  Like  the  authoress  of  this 
book,  she  proves  a  perfect  method  in  youth  preserves 
the  beauty  of  the  voice  even  unto  and  beyond  the  three 
score  and  ten.  Mrs.  Pierce  and  Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell 
were  the  singers  at  the  famous  Chamber  concerts  given 
by  Messrs.  Schmidt  and  Weil  and  who  were  considered 

225 


by  a  patronizing  public  the  exponents  of  the  best  music 
ever  given  in  California,  and'  at  the  concerts  given  by 
Mr.  Henry  Heyman  and  those  of  Mr.  Jacob  Rose- 
wald.  Mr.  Joseph  Maguire's  last  appearance  in  pub- 
lic was  when  he  and  Mrs.  Pierce  sang  at  a  concert 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Stephen  Leach.  They  sang 
the  fine  old  English  duet,  When  Thy  Bosom  Heaves 
the  Sigh  to  tumultuous  applause  and  were  recalled 
again  and  again.  Before  Mrs.  Campbell's  departure  for 
Europe,  at  a  farewell  concert  (held  in  the  Howard  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Mission  street,  before  1800  persons), 
Mr.  Walter  Campbell  and  Mrs.  Pierce  gave  a  most  spir- 
ited rendering  of  the  difficult  old  Italian  duet  for  basso 
and  soprano  of  Master  and  Scholar  with  tremendous 
effect.  At  the  music  jubilee  held  in  old  Mechanics' 
pavilion  in  1878,  Mrs.  Pierce  was  seated  in  the  third 
row  of  sopranos  and  very  willingly  took  her  place,  when 
after  the  first  chorus,  Mr.  Zerrahn,  the  leader,  leaned 
forward  and  said,  "Please,  that  lady,  come  out  here,"  and 
placed  her  at  his  side,  so  telling  and  pure  was  the  carry- 
ing quality  of  her  voice  that  he  at  once  singled  her  out 
for  the  cherished  "front  row." 

Always  associated  with  the  highest  efforts  in  music, 
Mrs.  Pierce  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  successful 
Musical  Association  of  Berkeley  and  also  of  the  New 
Oratorio  Society  of  Berkeley  which  has  in  its  member- 
ship many  of  the  most  prominent  musicians  in  the  Uni- 
versity town,  the  musical  center  of  California. 

A  very  high  compliment  was  paid  Mrs.  Pierce  on 
her  departure  for  the  East  in  1876  when  the  Handel  and 
Hayden  society  of  San  Francisco,  under  the  distinguished 
leader,  John  P.  Morgan,  gave  her  a  letter  of  introduction 
to  the  Handel  and  Hayden  Society  of  Boston,  bespeaking 
for  her  all  the  privileges  which  it  could  grant  to  a 
"devoted  and  well  beloved  member  of  its  sister  society  on 
the  Pacific  Coast."  This  was  the  first  time  this  signal 
honor  had  ever  been  given  to  a  member. 

One  of  the  most  pleasurable  remembrances  I  have  of 
Mrs.  Pierce  is  associated  with  a  Handel  and  Hayden 
concert  in  Mechanics'  Pavilion.  Elijah  was  given  and 
with  Mrs.  Campbell  and  Mrs.  Hayden,  Mrs.  Pierce  sang 
the  immortal  trio,  Lift  Thine  Eyes,  to  tremendous 
enthusiasm.  The  trio  had  to  be  repeated  three  times,  so 
evenly  and  perfectly  were  the  voices  blended.  Later  this 
trio  was  sung  with  great  success  at  a  reception  given 
by  the  Bohemian  club.  Mrs.  Pierce,  Miss  Wood  and 
Mrs.  Birmingham  were  the  singers. 


226 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SIX 


REMINISCENCES  OF  LATER  CALIFORNIA  MUSICIANS 
AND  SINGERS 

JOSEPH    MAGUIRE 


N  THE  death  of  Joseph  Maguire,  California 
lost  one  of  its  finest  tenors.  He  was  known 
to  a  wide  circle,  both  in  this  state  and  Nevada. 
He  was  a  mining  man,  but  it  was  as  a 
musician  that  he  made  his  reputation.  He  was 
a  tenor  singer  of  great  sweetness  and  power.  The  public 
had  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  purity  of  his  vocalization 
and  had  the  opportunity  to  hear  him  weekly  at  the  Uni- 
tarian Church,  Dr.  Stebbins,  pastor.  His  sickness  was  of 
short  duration  and  his  death  came  as  a  severe  blow  to 
his  many  musical  friends  and  associates.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Amphion  Quartette  and  Bohemian  Club  chorus. 
He  was  tenor  in  the  St.  John's  Presbyterian  Church  on 
Post  street,  in  the  quartette,  where  he  and  I  sang  for  two 
and  a  half  years.  It  was  a  half  hour  previous  to  his 
death  while  in  a  delirium  that  he  sang  like  a  bird  Gounod's 
Ave  Maria,  imagining  himself  at  a  musical  gathering. 
The  last  sad  rites  were  performed  under  the  auspices  of 
Occidental  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  Mr.  Maguire 
was  a  well-beloved  member.  He  was  a  native  of  Bolton, 
England,  aged  forty-four  years. 

In  memory  of  our  much  beloved  Joe  Maguire,  as  he 
was  affectionately  called  by  his  California  friends  who 
loved  him  for  his  beautiful  singing  and  for  his  own  self, 
I  shall  give  the  musical  service  as  it  was  rendered  at  the 
church.  A  most  beautiful  tribute  of  flowers,  in  the  shape 
of  a  lyre  with  the  silver  strings  snapped  and  hanging 
loosely,  was  placed  in  the  choir  where  he  stood  each  Sab- 
bath and  sang  his  glorious  songs.  Certainly  no  one  knew 
him  but  to  love  him,  and  the  last  tribute  of  song  given 
him  by  his  friends  will  last  as  long  as  memory  remains 
in  the  living  musicians  who  assisted  in  the  ceremonies  at 
the  church. 

227 


Funeral  Services  in  Memory  of 
JOSEPH  MAGUIRE 

September,   1833— March,   1878 

First  Unitarian  Church,   Geary  street 

San  Francisco,  Sunday,  March  24,  1878. 

1.  Organ  voluntary. 

2.  Chorus  of  male  voices : 

Brother,  through  from  yonder  sky 
Cometh  neither  voice  nor  cry, 
Yet  we  know  from  thee  today 
Every  pain  has  passed  away. 

Brother,  in  that  solemn  trust 
We  commend  thee  dust  to  dust, 
In  that  faith  we  wait  'till  risen, 
Thou  shalt  meet  us  all  in  heaven. 

3.  Readings  from  the  Scripture :  Extracts  from  the  Book  of  Job. 

Rev.  Horatio  Stebbins. 

4.  Double  quartette  for  female  voices. 

Their  sun  shall  no  more  go  down ;  the  Lord  shall  be  their 
everlasting  light;  and  the  days  of  their  mourning  are  ended. 
For  the  Lord  shall  feed  them  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes. 

5.  Funeral   oration,  by   Harry   Edwards. 

6.  Choral  from  Spohr's     Last  Judgment. 

Lord  God  Almighty,  we  adore  Thee ;  Thou,  Lord,  will  take 
away  every  sorrow ;  Thou  wilt  wipe  away  all  tears  from  my 
eyes.  Yea,  every  tear  and  every  sorrow  Thou  wilt  wipe  away 
from  our  eyes ;  nor  death,  nor  pain,  nor  sorrow  shalt  then 
be  known. 

7.  Remarks  and  Prayer,  by  Horatio  Stebbins. 

8.  Hymn,     Abide  With  Me. 

There  were  thirty-five  voices  in  all  from  the  societies 
with  which  he  had  affiliated,  and  the  sixteen  female  voices 
were  the  soloists  of  the  different  choirs  in  which  he  had 
sung  so  many  years.  They  were  grouped  about  his 
casket  and  with  superhuman  effort  performed  the  last 
tribute  of  affection  for  one  of  God's  most  beautiful  singers 
whom  all  loved.  Rest,  sweet  spirit,  rest. 

MR.    AND    MRS.    STEPHEN    W.    LEACH 

Among  our  first  singers  were  Stephen  W.  Leach  and 
his  wife,  Georgiana  Leach.  He  was  an  English  buffo 
singer.  His  wife  was  a  beautiful  soprano  singer  and  was 
soloist  in  the  Unitarian  Church  in  the  days  of  the  sixties 
when  the  church  was  on  Stockton.  When  the  new  Starr 
King  church  was  built  on  Geary  street,  this  old  church 
was  bought  by  the  colored  Methodist  people.  Mr.  Leach 

228 


STEPHEN   W.   LEACH 

Musical    Director,    Buffo    Singer    and    beloved    Bohemian — Member    of    the 
famous  old  California  Theatre  Company  in  the   70's  and  80's 


formed  a  madrigal  society  in  that  year,  and  we  had 
weekly  rehearsals,  perfecting  ourselves  for  concert  and 
other  public  demonstrations  when  required.  I  shall  here 
give  one  of  our  noted  programs,  given  by  the  most  promi- 
nent musicians,  both  men  and  women,  of  our  time.  The 
numbers  are  worthy  of  historical  notice  for  the  sake  of 
the  music  and  the  musicians  who  took  part  in  this  memor- 
able concert,  the  first  of  the  series. 

Program    of 
S.  W.  LEACH  CONCERT 

At   Platt's  Hall 
Monday  Evening,  Dec.  9th,   1878 

1.  Part  Song.     Strike  the  Lyre Cooke 

Mr.  Gee  and  Madrigal  Society 

2.  Song.     I  Fear  No  Foe Pinsuti 

Walter  Campbell 

3.  Quartette    for   piano   and    stringed   instruments.      Sostenuot 

assai,  Allegro  ma  non  troppo Schumann 

Miss  Alice  Schmidt,  piano ;  Mr.  Clifford  Schmidt,  first  violin ; 
Mr.   Louis  Schmidt,  Jr.,  viola;   Mr.  Ernest   Schmidt,  cello. 

4.  My  Queen   Blumenthal 

Alfred  Kelleher 

5.  Duet.     Quanto  Amore  Donizetti 

Mrs.  J.  E.  Tippett  and  S.  W.  Leach 

6.  Let  All  Obey S.  W.  Leach 

C.  W.  Dugan 

7.  Valse  Chantee — Rajon  de  Bonhure Mattiozzi 

Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell 

8.  Reading    

Daniel    O'Connell 

9.  Part  Song.    Introduction  and  Valse S.  W.  Leach 

Madrigal  Society 

10.  French    Horn    Solo 

Ernest  Schlott 

11.  Solo     

Mrs.  J.  E.  Tippett 

12.  Violin  Concerto.     Andante  and  Finale    Mendelssohn 

Clifford  Schmidt 

13.  Duet  and  Chorus.    In  the  Days  of  Old  Lang  Syne 

Neidermeyer 

Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell  and  Ben  Clark 

14.  Trio.     This  Magic  Wove  Scarf 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Pierce,  J.  E.  Tippett,  S.  W.  Leach 

15.  Madrigal.      O    by    Rivers    (words    by    Shakespeare.      Com- 

posed  A.    D.    1600) 

Accompanists,  Geo.  J.  Gee  and  H.  O.  Hunt ; 
conductor,  S.  W.  Leach. 

Concert  to  commence  punctually  at  8  p.  m. 
229 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    SOCIETY 

Conductor — S.  W.  Leach. 

Sopranos — Mrs.  Marriner-Campbell,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Tippett,  Mrs. 
J.  M.  Pierce,  Mrs.  Sarah  Little. 

Altos — Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  Miss  E.  Beutler,  Miss  Ida  Beutler, 
Mrs.  Chisolm. 

Tenors — J.  E.  Tippett,  Ben  Clark,  J.  Webber. 

Bassos— Walter  C.  Campbell,  C.  W.  Dugan,  Will  B.  Edwards. 

Pianist — Geo.  J.  Gee. 

For  years  we  served  the  public,  winning  fresh  laurels 
yearly  and  adding  to  our  repertoire  of  madrigals  and 
songs  worthy  the  aspirations  of  any  competent  and  con- 
scientious singers.  Every  number  was  a  gem  of  the 
music  writer's  art.  Good  music  never  grows  old,  and 
songs  like  these  should  claim  the  student's  attention  in 
place  of  the  common  everyday  songs  that  cater  to  a  lower 
taste  or  create  a  laugh.  They  lower  the  standard  of  the 
singer.  There  are  many  comic  songs  that  will  bring  the 
wholesome  laugh  and  be  welcomed  by  an  appreciative 
audience.  The  singer  makes  the  song  as  she  builds  her 
own  character.  It  is  the  understanding  of  the  writer's 
meaning,  of  the  sentiment  he  has  tried  to  embody,  which 
shows  the  intelligent  and  artistic  singer.  Happy  indeed 
is  the  singer  if  his  success  follows  the  rendering  of  his 
songs.  This  is  the  way  our  reputations  are  made.  Is  it 
not  a  great  happiness  to  the  singer  and  the  listener  that 
the  tones  come  pure  and  limpid  from  the  long-cherished 
instrument  that  still  answers  to  the  beautiful  strains  of 
the  Last  Rose  of  Summer  or  Safe  in  the  Arms  of 
Jesus?  Can  any  one  conceive  the  devotion  with  which 
a  singer  nurses  the  beautiful  gift  which  is  above  rubies — 
a  priceless  gem — only  to  be  made  more  beautiful  when  it 
returns  to  the  God  who  gave  it,  and  made  more  beautiful  by 
the  knowledge  that  he  has  done  what  is  possible  with  the 
talent  entrusted  to  him,  and  unconsciously  made  the  gift 
more  suitable  to  join  the  Everlasting  Choir,  Eternal  in 
the  Heavens,  to  join  in  the  congregation  of  saints  who 
had  found  the  harmony  of  the  Lost  Chord,  and  to 
make  the  heavens  ring  with  the  melody  of  the  last  strain, 
Only  in  heaven  I  shall  hear  that  grand  Amen? 

It  is  a  fact  that  in  writing  my  memoirs  I  felt  a  little 
reluctant  at  first  to  write  all  about  myself  and  my  work, 
but  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not  vanity  on 
my  part  to  report  history,  and  certainly  I  have  left  no 
stone  unturned  to  hunt  out  real  facts  and  occurrences 
from  my  letters,  programs,  diaries  and  other  papers.  As 
I  have  been  first  in  many  things,  perhaps  it  may  be 
interesting  to  know  who  sang  the  Lost  Chord  the  first 

230 


time  in  California,  a  song  so  widely  known  and  sung 
by  so  many  singers.  In  the  year  1878,  while  Mrs.  Louisa 
Marriner  was  in  London  on  one  of  her  yearly  visits,  in 
her  generous  kindness  she  sent  me  the  Lost  Chord  and 
also  Sullivan's  Let  Me  Dream  Again,  two  new  com- 
positions which,  she  said,  were  just  written  for  me.  Dur- 
ing this  year  Calvary  Literary  society  gave  an  evening  of 
song  for  the  Ladies'  Relief  society,  and  among  the  num- 
bers of  the  programme  was  the  Lost  Chord,  with  piano 
and  organ  accompaniment.  Mrs.  Henry  Norton  was 
soprano;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  contralto;  C.  L.  Gage,  bass; 
J.  de  S.  Bettincourt,  tenor;  C.  Rowland,  second  tenor; 
E.  McD.  Johnston,  bass;  Miss  F.  A.  Dillaye,  organist; 
H.  M.  Bos  worth,  organ  and  piano,  and  Prof.  Theo.  Herzog, 
violin.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  I  sang  the  song  of 
the  Lost  Chord,  with  organ  and  piano. 

Sometimes  in  recounting  incidents  in  our  lives  we  often 
wonder  how  they  began,  as,  in  this  instance,  "I  wonder 
who  sang  the  Lost  Chord  first  on  this  coast?  In  this 
article  you  have  the  answer. 

PROF.  FREDERICK  KATZENBACH 

Prof.  Katzenbach  was  born  in  the  city  of  Freimersheim, 
Germany,  1834.  He  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
He  again  returned  to  Germany  when  twenty  years  old  and 
studied  in  Mainz,  under  Prof.  E.  Paner  and  Thopelus  Syfert. 
His  first  position  as  organist  was  in  the  city  of  Schwabs- 
burgh,  Germany,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  a  position 
he  held  until  he  came  to  America,  four  years  later.  In 
the  seventies  he  was  in  San  Francisco.  His  first  position 
as  organist  was  at  the  Howard  Street  Methodist  Church. 
Later  he  went  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Van  Ness 
avenue,  and  in  1874  he  was  organist  for  St.  John's  Church 
in  Post  street,  Dr.  Scott,  pastor.  The  choir  was  composed 
of  Mrs.  Robert  Moore,  soprano;  Mrs.  M.  R.  Blake,  con- 
tralto; Joseph  Maguire,  tenor,  and  Cornelius  Makin,  bass. 
From  1870  to  1873  he  taught  piano  at  Mills  seminary. 
During  this  time  his  wife  passed  out  of  life  and  he  was 
left  with  one  daughter  and  three  sons.  He  grieved  so 
much  at  his  loss  that  he  gave  up  his  position  and  went 
East,  but  his  love  for  California  was  too  strong  and  he 
returned  in  1875.  He  took  up  his  musical  profession  once 
more  and  for  a  while  was  organist  at  Calvary  Presbyterian 
Church,  Rev.  John  Hemphill,  pastor.  The  choir  consisted 
of  Mrs.  Van  Brunt,  soprano;  Mrs.  M.  Blake,  contralto; 
Cornelius  Makin,  bass,  and  John  Trehane,  tenor.  Later 
he  moved  to  Oakland  and  played  in  the  First  Unitarian 

231 


Church  in  Castro  street.  Some  years  after  that  he  had  an 
organ  at  St.  Paul's  Church  in  Harrison  street.  For  thirty- 
five  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  churches  and  teaching 
piano,  and  taught  many  fine  players  in  San  Francisco, 
Oakland  and  other  places.  He  never  had  gotten  over  the 
loss  of  his  dear  wife,  and  it  unfortunately  saddened  his  life, 
for  she  was  indeed  a  perfect  mother  in  her  family.  His 
daughter,  Miss  Elizabeth,  was  the  image  of  her  mother 
and  was  his  constant  thought,  and  his  ambition  was  to 
have  her  life  guided  into  the  same  channel  of  perfect 
womanhood.  He  began  early  with  her  education  in  music 
and  taught  her  until  she  had  grown  to  womanhood,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  before  his  death  she  taught  with 
him  in  his  studio  in  Tenth  street  in  West  Oakland.  Some 
time  in  the  eighties  he  desired  his  daughter  to  have  a 
little  instruction  in  the  old-world  music  centers.  In  1903 
she  journeyed  to  Munich,  Germany,  and  studied  for  three 
years  with  Heinrich  Schwartz.  In  1906  she  returned  to 
California  and  expected  to  meet  her  father  at  the  station, 
but  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  died  shortly  after  from 
a  nervous  breakdown.  His  daughter  returned  just  two 
days  after  he  died,  doubly  bereaved,  as  he  had  been  father 
and  mother  to  her  and  her  brothers  since  she  was  a  child 
of  three  years.  After  many  months  she  took  up  her  music 
once  more,  where  she  had  necessarily  laid  it  down  during 
her  days  of  mourning.  She  is  busy  always  and  is  now 
one  of  our  foremost  teachers  of  piano,  and  faithfully  and 
successfully  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  her  honored  father. 

RICHARD   THOMAS   YARNDL^Y 

Mr.  Yarndley  was  born  December  5,  1840,  in  Man- 
chester, England.  His  parents  were  both  musicians  of  a 
high  order.  His  father  was  an  organist  of  the  first  rank 
and  a  viola  player  of  exceptional  ability.  He  was  first 
viola  in  the  celebrated  band  of  Sir  Charles  Hallie  and  was 
complimented  at  one  time  by  Mendelssohn,  the  great  com- 
poser. The  Earl  of  Ellsmere  was  his  patron,  who  bought 
his  pipe  organ  when  he  left  for  America.  Mr.  Yarndley's 
mother  was  a  concert  singer,  possessing  a  pure  soprano 
voice  of  rare  sweetness  and  power.  She  sang  repeatedly 
under  Mendelssohn's  directing  with  such  artists  as  Madame 
Anna  and  Sir  Henry  Bishop,  Sir  George  Smart,  Simms 
Reeves,  Parepa  Rosa,  Jenny  Lind  and  other  great  singers 
of  her  day,  going  to  Dublin  at  one  time  with  the  "Swedish 
Nightingale"  as  assistant  at  her  concert. 

The  little  Richard  from  the  tender  age  of  five  years 
accompanied  his  mother  regularly  at  these  concerts  as  her 

232 


small  chevalier.  He  was  thus  from  infancy  reared  in  an 
atmosphere  of  the  best  music.  His  training  was  principally 
under  his  father,  although  he  received  instruction  from 
the  best  teachers  of  the  city.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  was  sent  to  this  country  to  hold  an  organ  posi- 
tion at  Detroit,  Mich.,  for  his  father  who  was  to  come 
with  the  family  the  following  year.  He  was  playing  at 
that  time  in  the  largest  church  in  Manchester.  He  created 
quite  a  sensation  the  first  Sunday,  dressed  as  all  English 
boys  were,  in  a  roundabout  jacket,  broad  turned-down 
collar,  and  Scotch  cap  with  long  ribbons  behind.  During 
his  ten  years'  residence  in  the  "City  of  the  Streets"  he 
acquired  a  reputation  as  piano  teacher,  organist  and  con- 
ductor of  the  Handel  and  Hayden  society.  In  1870  he 
removed  to  San  Francisco  and  was  at  once  invited  to  take 
charge  of  the  Harmonic  society  of  Oakland  and  the  organ 
of  the  Congregational  church  of  that  city,  which  position 
he  filled  until  his  departure  for  Portland,  Ore.,  some 
three  years  later.  Afterwards,  returning  to  California,  he 
held  positions  in  Grace  Church  and  St.  Luke's  Church,  San 
Francisco,  and  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Oakland. 
He  was  an  all-round  musician  of  no  mean  order  and 
might  have  accomplished  much,  had  he  not  been  handi- 
capped by  ill  health.  Probably  his  most  marked  success 
was  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  intimately  associated 
with  Miss  Emma  La  Jeunesse,  afterwards  Albani,  who 
was  his  lifelong  friend.  He  was  given  many  brilliant 
testimonials  from  the  musical  association  and  citizens  of 
Albany.  Music  was  with  him  a  holy  passion  as  well  as 
vocation.  He  was  a  man  of  high  moral  principals,  singu- 
larly guileless  and  of  a  deep  religious  fervor.  He  died  at 
Livermore,  Cal.,  September  7,  1895,  aged  fifty-four  years, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Masonic  cemetery  there. 

WILLIAM  M'FARLAND  GREEK 

Mr.  Greer  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  September  22, 
1850.  He  began  his  musical  education  early  in  life,  first  on 
the  violin.  When  he  had  played  for  some  years  he  sang  in 
the  boys'  choir  before  his  voice  was  placed.  After  he 
had  it  trained  he  sang  in  the  choirs  of  the  churches  in 
Baltimore,  Atlanta,  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  was  a  member  of  the  May  Festival  singers. 
He  also  sang  in  Temple  Emanuel,  Sutter  street,  Louis 
Schmidt,  organist ;  in  the  Mason  street  synagogue  and  in 
the  First  Methodist  Church  on  Mission  street.  In  Oakland, 
twenty  years  ago,  he  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  early 

233 


choir  of  the  Brooklyn  Presbyterian  Church,  East  Oakland. 
He  has  passed  out  of  life  to  join  the  Invisible  Choir.  He 
left  a  wife,  daughter  and  sons  to  mourn  his  loss.  While 
in  Trinity  choir  I  had  the  pleasure  of  sing-ing  with  him 
often  at  high  days  and  funeral  services.  He  had  a  beautiful 
tenor-baritone  voice  which  was  melody  itself,  and  he  knew 
how  to  sing.  It  was  evident  to  all,  for  he  was  always  in 
demand  as  a  church  singer  and  occupied  these  positions 
during  his  life.  His  daughter  is  also  the  possessor  of  a 
voice  of  fine  quality,  and  by  accident  I  found  her  and  it 
gave  me  the  same  great  pleasure  to  teach  the  daughter 
as  it  gave  me  to  sing  with  the  father  long  ago.  She 
occupies  the  position  of  sewing  teacher  in  the  Girl's  High 
School,  San  Francisco,  and  is  a  most  efficient  teacher. 

MARY    CHENEY-CLARK 

Mrs.  Clark,  daughter  of  Rev.  D.  B.  Cheney,  was  a  resi- 
dent of  San  Francisco  for  years  as  a  singer  and  teacher. 
Her  voice  was  contralto  and  she  occupied  that  position  in 
her  father's  choirs.  She  studied  voice  with  Mrs.  Georgiana 
Leach,  one  of  California's  rare  sopranos  and  wife  of 
Stephen  W.  Leach,  the  well-known  baritone.  Her  instruc- 
tors in  instrumental  music  were  Rudolph  Herold  and  Pro- 
fessor Beutler.  Later  she  went  to  Boston  and  studied  at 
the  New  England  Conservatory  and  her  teachers  were 
Fannie  Fraser  Foster,  Carlyle  Petersilea  and  Zerrahn.  She 
is  still  among  us,  but  takes  no  active  part  in  music  outside 
of  her  home  circle  in  Berkeley. 

CHAS.    H.    SCHULTZ 

Mr.  Schultz  was  born  in  Herzheim  by  Landan,  Rhein- 
platz,  Baiern.  Germany,  in  1830.  His  father,  an  organist 
of  note  in  Herxheim,  superintended  his  musical  education 
under  Herr  Geiger  until  his  gymnasium  years,  when  he 
continued  his  studies  under  Professor  Lutz  of  Spire  until 
he  entered  Heidelberg  University.  Coming  to  America  in 
1854,  he  accepted  the  position  of  musical  instructor  of  M in- 
erva  college,  Nashville,  Tenn.  He  married,  in  1858,  a 
cousin  of  "Fighting  Joe"  Wheeler,  the  famous  Southern 
general.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1871,  he  came  to 
California,  locating  in  Visalia,  where  he  gave  private  in- 
struction and  was  organist  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  In  1876 
he  married  Mrs.  Catherine  Griffith  and  to  this  union  four 
children  were  born.  In  1880  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
San  Jose  and,  continuing  his  private  instruction,  he  became 
one  of  the  best  known  of  the  musical  instructors  of  Santa 
Clara  county.  In  his  seventieth  year  he  retired  and  a  few 

234 


years  ago  decided  to  make  Alameda  his  home  where,  at  the 
fine  old  age  of  eighty- two,  he  is  still  enjoying  a  happy 
and  contented  life. 

OTTO    BLANKART 

Mr.  Blankart  studied  the  violin  in  Mannheim,  Germany, 
with  Carl  Heydt,  second  violin  of  the  then  renowned  Jean 
Becker  quartette.  Notwithstanding  his  showing  of  great 
talent  in  his  youth,  his  father  refused  to  send  him  to  the 
Leipsig  Conservatory  because  of  trouble  with  his  ears.  His 
father  apprenticed  him  to  a  wholesale  coffee  house.  When 
twenty-one  years  old  he  left  for  America.  He  went  first 
to  his  sister  in  Indianapolis,  then  to  Quincy,  111.,  where 
he  took  up  his  violin  studies  again,  played  in  concerts  with 
Eastern  pianists,  got  pupils,  besides  having  a  position  in  a 
music  store.  There  he  met  and  married  Mrs.  Blankart 
and  they  worked  together  constantly.  About  1874  he  came 
to  San  Francisco  and  gradually  he  gained  ground  as  a 
teacher  and  did  very  well.  When  the  Blankarts  had  their 
studios  on  Geary  street,  near  Larkin,  about  1882-89,  they 
gave  musicals  every  two  weeks,  and  musicians  like  Edgar 
S.  Kelly,  Fred  Zech,  Jr.,  Otto  Bendix,  Luchesi,  Miss  Han- 
chette  and  others  played  there.  During  those  years  Pro- 
fessor Blankart  formed  also,  in  connection  with  Miss 
Hanchette,  the  Beethoven  Quartette  club  and  gave  for  sev- 
eral seasons  in  succession  public  concerts.  In  the  early 
nineties  he  left  San  Francisco  for  Oakland.  He  went 
about  three  times  to  Europe  on  business  matters,  but  as 
usual  discovered  that  it  is  better  to  stay  with  one's 
profession  than  to  change,  and  eventually,  after  some 
time,  came  back  to  the  fold  and  worked  in  a  quiet  way ; 
that  is,  he  practiced  hard  and  gave  lessons.  He  has  had 
the  satisfaction  of  giving  pleasure  and  rousing  interest  for 
the  better  classical  music. 

MRS.    THERESA    BLANKART 

Blankart  had  her  musical  education  with  the  re- 
nowned Louis  Kohler  in  Konigsberg,  East  Prussia,  Ger- 
many. From  the  first  she  wanted  to  be  a  concert  player. 
There  being  no  piano  in  her  home,  she  was  compelled  to 
practice  at  a  piano  house  every  morning  from  eight  until 
twelve  o'clock,  and  she  said  many  times  that  she  could  have 
practiced  longer  if  the  military  band  passing  the  store  daily 
at  noon  had  not  reminded  her  of  the  time.  She  kept  up 
this  arduous  practice  until  she  broke  down  with  typhoid 
fever  and  was  near  death's  door.  When  she  was  able  to 

235 


start  work  again,  Louis  Kohler  did  not  recognize  her  at 
all,  she  had  changed  so  much.  He  encouraged  her  very 
much,  but  stated  at  once  that,  under  the  conditions,  she 
ought  to  give  up  all  hope  of  becoming  a  performer,  as  she 
could  not  stand  the  strain.  He  said  she  could  make  an  ex- 
cellent teacher  and  that  he  would  help  her  in  every  way. 
For  two  years  she  taught  under  the  guidance  of  this  great 
teacher  and  in  1868  came  to  America.  She  taught  about 
seven  years  in  the  East  and  came  to  California  about  1874. 
She  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  then  prominent  San 
Francisco  piano  teachers — Trenkle,  Kuhne,  Holzhauer, 
Hartman — and  they  all  very  kindly  recommended  her  after 
examination.  She  gradually  built  up  her  reputation  and 
had  the  satisfaction  to  see  many  of  her  pupils  become  fine 
players.  She  was  at  the  California  College,  teaching  for 
over  twenty  years,  and  many  a  pupil  from  this  college  is 
today  teaching  with  success.  She  always  strictly  attended 
to  her  profession  with  great  love  and  devotion  and  never 
had  time  to  attend  social  duties.  Notwithstanding,  she 
made  many  friends  among  her  pupils  and  others. 

M.  AUGUSTA  LOWELL-GARTHWAITE 

"Gussie"  Lowell  was  born  in  San  Francisco  in  1857  of 
New  England  parentage  and  began  her  first  musical  study 
with  Professor  Striby,  one  of  the  earliest  piano  teachers. 
On  moving  to  Oakland,  when  nine  years  old,  she  studied 
first  with  Miss  Mary  Simpson  (now  Mrs.  Barker)  of  the 
Blake  seminary,  then  Miss  Gaskill  (now  Mrs.  Andrews)  and 
afterwards  with  Mrs.  Blanche  Emerson  and  Mrs.  Babcock. 
Organ  study  (on  the  reed  organ)  was  begun  in  1874  with 
John  H.  Pratt,  and  when  John  P.  Morgan  in  1875 
came  to  Oakland  from  New  York,  where  he  had  for  years 
been  the  beloved  organist  of  Trinity  Church,  Miss  Lowell 
took  up  the  study  of  the  pipe  organ  at  the  old  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Oakland  and  practiced  there,  at  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  and  the  Independent  Church,  where 
she  later  became  organist  after  a  two  years'  service  at  the 
First  Baptist  Church.  As  Mr.  Morgan  was  the  conductor 
of  the  San  Francisco  Handel  and  Hayden  Oratorio  society 
and  the  Oakland  Harmonic,  Miss  Lowell  had  the  unusual 
advantage  as  organist  of  these  societies  of  playing  in  all 
the  oratorios  given  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Morgan  as 
well  as  Mr.  Toepke  and  Mr.  Gustave  Hinrichs.  After  Mr. 
Morgan's  lamented  death,  Miss  Lowell  took  his  place  as 
teacher  of  the  organ  in  the  conservatory  founded  by  him, 
where  also  taught  Mr.  Morgan  (piano),  Mr.  Louis  Lisser, 

236 


Rose  Champion 
Elsie  Mae  Hunt 
Mrs.  Cora  Rayburn 


Mrs.  Mayme  Bass  ford 
Arthur  Victory 
Elizabeth  Lanktree 

PUPILS,    1898-1902 


Elsie  Noonan 
Jennie  Christofferson 
Harry  Cranclall 


Mr.  Henry  Heyneman  and  Mr.  Julius  Hinrichs  (violin- 
cello),  Miss  Susie  Morgan,  Mr.  D.  P.  Hughes  and  dear 
old  Stephen  W.  Leach  (voice  culture). 

For  three  years  prior  to  Miss  Lowell's  departure  for 
New  York  in  1880,  she  was  organist  for  Rev.  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton's Independent  Presbyterian  Church,  where  she  con- 
ducted a  large  choir  of  sixteen  voices. 

She  studied  for  a  short  time  in  the  New  England  Con- 
servatory of  Music  at  Boston,  but  as  New  York  had  the 
greater  attraction  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Samuel  P.  War- 
ren, the  leading  organist  of  the  country,  she  went  there 
and  throughout  her  ten  years'  residence  in  the  East  studied 
solely  with  Mr.  Warren,  but  added  two  seasons  of  study  in 
harmony  technique  under  that  master,  John  H.  Cornell. 
Miss  Lowell's  California  experience  proved  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  her  in  obtaining  church  positions  in  the  big 
city,  and  immediately  upon  her  arrival  in  New  York  she 
became  assistant  organist  at  St.  George's  and  later  St. 
Bartholomew's,  Grace  and  other  churches,  and  for  three 
years  was  organist  at  the  Madison  Avenue  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church.  The  desire  of  her  heart  was  attained, 
however,  when  the  position  was  offered  to  her  as  organist 
at  the  beautiful  new  Roosevelt  organ  at  the  Church  of  the 
Incarnation  (Arthur  Brooks,  brother  of  Phillips  Brooks, 
pastor),  to  succeed  Frederick  Archer,  the  great  English 
organist.  This  position  she  held  for  seven  years,  until  her 
marriage  in  1890.  The  choir  of  thirty  paid  voices  was 
the  finest  in  the  city,  and  at  this  organ  Miss  Lowell  gave 
over  sixty  recitals.  While  in  New  York,  Miss  Lowell 
played  in  many  public  and  private  concerts  and  was  con- 
ductor for  seven  years  of  the  Ladies'  Vocal  club  at  Mont- 
clair,  N.  J.,  and  for  three  years  of  the  Choral  club 
(ladies'),  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

After  her  marriage  in  Oakland  in  1890  to  Edwin 
Garthwaite,  a  mining  engineer  of  great  reputation,  she 
retired  from  public  life  and  went  with  him  to  Mexico, 
where  much  piano  and  ensemble  work  was  enjoyed,  then 
later  to  South  Africa  for  twelve  years.  While  there  was 
no  organ  playing  in  the  parts  where  she  lived,  she  was 
able  to  gather  musical  people  about  her  always,  and  in 
her  home  near  Johannesburg  she  conducted  a  fine  glee 
club  of  mixed  voices.  Up  in  Bulawayo,  Rhodesia,  she 
was  always  identified  with  good  music  and  formed  a 
musical  club,  where  much  fine  work  in  ensemble  and  choral 
music  was  accomplished. 

On  her  return  to  her  native  land,  five  years  ago,  after 
nearly  twenty  years'  absence  practically  from  the  organ, 

237 


Mrs.  Garthwaite  was  able  to  give  occasional  public  per- 
formances, playing  as  organist  in  the  First  Church  of 
Christ,  Scientist,  for  a  year  and  a  half,  and  after  all  these 
years  is  again  organist  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in 
Oakland,  the  church  where  she  began  her  career  as  a  girl 
of  nineteen  for  five  dollars  a  month. 

Mrs.  Garthwaite  considers  the  most  noteworthy  event 
in  her  career  to  be  the  anniversary  recital  given  last  year 
in  the  Baptist  Church,  when  she  repeated  her  performance 
of  twenty  years  before,  substituting  her  two  sons  and  her 
nephew,  Lowell  Redfield,  for  Mr.  Sigmund  Beel  and  Miss 
Lizzie  Bogue,  and  giving  as  a  great  surprise  to  her 
audience  a  wonderful  and  inspiring  performance  by  Mrs. 
Blake-Alverson  of  "The  Last  Rose  of  Summer."  It  was 
said  afterwards  that  it  was  like  a  song  from  heaven  and 
would  never  be  forgotten. 

SANTIAGO  ARRILLAGA  Y  ANSOLA 

Mr.  Arrillaga  was  born  in  1848  at  lolosa  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Guipuzcoa,  Spain,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  began  the 
study  of  music  in  the  old  Spanish  fashion,  with  a  solfeggio 
master  who  employed  no  instrumental  accompaniment  what- 
ever. In  the  course  of  a  year  he  had  fully  mastered  all 
that  could  be  taught  him  by  his  master.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  the  piano  as  a  recreation,  his  teacher  being  D.  E. 
Aguayo,  organist  of  the  parish  church.  He  attended  school, 
both  in  Spain  and  France,  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when, 
having  decided  to  pursue  the  musical  art  as  a  profession, 
he  was  sent  to  the  Royal  Conservatory  at  Madrid,  where 
he  became  the  pupil  of  Don  M.  Mendizabal  in  piano,  Don 
R.  Hermando  in  harmony  and  Dr.  H.  Esloa  in  counter- 
point. At  the  close  of  three  years  he  was  graduated  with 
the  highest  honors,  having  obtained  the  first  prize  at  the 
public  examination  and  being  decorated  with  the  gold 
medal  of  the  university,  which  was  conferred  on  him  by 
Queen  Isabella  (the  second).  In  1867  Senor  Arrillaga 
went  to  Paris,  where  he  studied  at  the  conservatory  and 
also  took  private  lessons.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
was  seized  with  a  desire  to  travel  and,  after  a  sojourn  in 
several  South  American  cities  and  in  the  Antilles,  he  came 
to  this  country. 

At  San  Jose  de  Costa  Rica  he  remained  for  five  years 
and  he  would  in  all  probability  have  made  his  home  at 
that  delightful  place,  as  he  had  every  inducement  offered 
him  to  do  so,  had  not  the  climate  of  the  tropics  shattered 
his  health.  This  compelled  him  to  seek  a  more  congenial 

238 


locality,  and  in  1875  he  departed  for  San  Francisco, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  all  the  places  where  he 
has  resided  or  visited  he  has  given  concerts  with  marked 
success,  his  playing  being  particularly  admired  for  the 
elegant  and  graceful  style  and  his  facile  technique.  When 
Carlotta  Patti  visited  the  Pacific  coast  she  especially  en- 
gaged him  to  act  as  her  accompanist  for  her  concert  tour. 
Although  his  time  has  mainly  been  devoted  to  teaching, 
he  has  found  opportunity  to  do  clever  and  characteristic 
work  as  a  composer.  Conspicuously  successful  have  been 
his  "Gata  and  Danga  Habanera"  and  his  "Trip  to  Spain," 
the  latter  being  for  piano  and  orchestra.  He  has  written 
many  piano  compositions,  two  masses  and  a  great  deal  of 
church  music,  generally  distinguished  for  its  imaginative 
and  musicianly  qualities.  As  a  teacher,  Senor  Arrillaga 
has  been  remarkably  successful,  and  during  his  long  sojourn 
in  San  Francisco  he  has  gathered  about  him  a  large  coterie 
of  pupils,  to  whom  he  is  guide  in  art  and  a  valued  per- 
sonal friend. 

[From  "A  Hundred  Years  of  Music  in  America,"  pub- 
lished in  1889,  Chicago,  by  G.  L.  Howe  and  W.  S.  B. 
Matthews.] 

MISS    CARRIE)    HEINEMANN 

Miss  Heinemann  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
June  12,  1863.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  she  came  with  her 
parents  to  San  Francisco,  where  her  father  went  into  busi- 
ness on  Leavenworth  street.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  while 
visiting  friends,  her  voice  was  tested  under  the  tuition  of 
Miss  Louisa  Tourney,  who  successfully  brought  her  out 
after  three  years  of  study,  so  she  was  able  to  take  her  place 
as  a  leading  mezzo-soprano,  suitable  for  church  work  and 
concert  singing.  The  music  committee  of  the  O  Habai 
Sholom  choir  very  promptly  engaged  her  as  their  soprano, 
a  place  which  she  successfully  held  for  fifteen  years.  Dur- 
ing her  time  in  this  synagogue  she  was  prominent  in  con- 
certs and  festivals  and  sang  at  special  services  in  different 
churches  and  societies.  During  her  singing  career  she 
was  also  a  generous  and  charitable  singer  and  gave  her 
services  often  to  aid  other  churches,  societies  and  charities 
without  regard  to  creed.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  singing  in 
the  same  choir  with  her.  We  were  together  six  years 
with  the  following  members  of  the  choir:  Soprano,  Carrie 
Heinemann ;  contralto,  Mrs.  Blake- Alverson ;  basso,  Mr. 
Mills;  tenor,  Mr.  Newman,  and  organist,  G.  A.  Scott.  On 
holidays  extra  singers  assisted  the  regular  choir.  I  re- 


239 


signed  from  this  choir  to  go  to  San  Bernardino,  while 
she  remained  indefinitely.  She  married  at  that  time.  She 
still  continues  her  singing  and  assists  the  fraternal  orders 
in  San  Francisco,  of  which  she  is  a  prominent  member 
as  Mrs.  Carrie  Wallenstein. 

HENRY   S.   STEDMAN 

Mr.  Stedman  received  his  first  instruction  on  the  organ 
from  Thos.  N.  Caulfield  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.  During 
the  ten  years  preceding  1876  he  was  engaged  continuously 
in  the  churches  of  that  city,  the  larger  portion  being  in  the 
First  Presbyterian,  the  church  of  which  President  Benjamin 
Harrison  was  a  member  and  at  that  time  a  teacher  of  a 
Bible  class.  In  October,  1876,  he  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, having  come  to  the  coast  under  engagement  to 
the  firm  of  Sherman  and  Hyde.  He  had  already  been 
engaged  as  organist  of  the  Howard  M.  E.  Church  and 
took  up  that  work  at  once.  The  "silver-tongued  orator," 
Rev.  Thomas  Guard,  was  in  charge  of  the  church  then, 
and  his  popularity  drew  large  audiences,  who  were  enter- 
tained not  only  with  oratory  but  music  also.  The  church 
choir  was  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Jackson, 
who  was  one  of  the  first  to  announce  himself  as  a  "voice 
builder."  May  1,  1878,  Mr.  Stedman  was  seated  as 
organist  and  director  of  music  in  Plymouth  Congregational 
Church,  a  postion  filled  continuously  for  twenty  years. 
During  this  period  many  of  the  very  best  known  and 
ablest  singers,  now  occupying  positions  in  the  highest 
salaried  choirs  of  the  coast  as  well  as  in  the  East,  had 
their  first  start  and  encouragement  from  this  source.  In 
1898  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Alameda  made 
offers  that,  added  to  the  comfort  of  being  at  home  and 
free  from  travel  across  the  bay,  were  accepted,  and  Mr. 
Stedman  began  a  service  which  continued  for  five  years. 
At  this  time  business  interests  impelled  a  change  of  resi- 
dence to  San  Francisco  and,  having  already  put  in  a 
goodly  portion  of  time  on  the  bench,  all  offers  for  addi- 
tional service  were  rejected,  and  no  work  of  importance 
has  been  undertaken  in  the  way  of  organ-playing  save  an 
occasional  day  as  "substitute"  for  a  friend. 

THE  HINRICHS  FAMILY 

One  of  the  musical  families  of  early  years  was  the 
Hinrichs  family.  I  think  Gustav,  the  object  of  this 
sketch,  is  the  oldest.  He  was  connected  with  the  old 
Tivoli  and  was  the  first  to  introduce  opera  there  at  popu- 

240 


Freda  Lahre  Florence  Bruce  Mrs.  Ruth  Bruce- Wold 

Mrs.  O.  B.  Caldwell   Mrs.  Ethel  B.  Nagle-Pittman    Mrs.  Sue  Lanktree-Kenney 
Mrs.  Akerly  Geo.  Flick  Louisa  Garcia 

PUPILS  OF  THE    I900's 


lar  prices.  His  success  was  permanent.  He  is  not  only  a 
fine  director  but  a  teacher  of  the  voice  as  well  and  is  a  busy 
man.  Even  in  the  summer,  when  vacation  comes,  he  is 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  city.  Through  Joseffy  he  was 
persuaded  to  go  to  New  York,  as  the  field  was  broader. 

In  opera  naturally  the  leading  singers,  the  chorus,  the 
musicians,  all  play  an  important  part,  but  by  far  the  most 
important  of  all  is  that  assumed  by  the  musical  director. 
It  is  his  hand  that  binds  all  the  component  parts,  that 
might  otherwise  not  act  in  unison,  into  a  harmonious 
whole;  his  genius  that  brings  out  all  the  hidden  beauties 
of  the  score,  all  the  delicate  nuances  the  composer  had  in 
mind.  It  was  therefore  an  event  of  more  than  ordinary 
importance  and  an  entirely  new  departure  in  the  musical 
world  when  Henry  W.  Savage  made  the  announcement 
in  regard  to  his  immensely  popular  comic  opera.  The 
Prince  of  Pilsen,  that  he  had  as  musical  director  no  less 
a  celebrated  maestro  than  Gustav  Hinrichs,  formerly  con- 
ductor for  the  Metropolitan  grand  opera  company.  Mr. 
Hinrichs  ranks  among  the  very  foremost  operatic  musical 
directors,  standing  on  a  level  with  such  geniuses  as  Alfred 
Hertz,  Toscanini,  Mancinelli,  Campanari,  Gustav  Mahler 
and  Leopold  Damrosch. 

Julius  Hinrichs  was  the  cello  player  and  a  most 
sympathetic  and  beautiful  one.  I  remember  in  1875  I 
gave  a  concert  in  old  Platt's  hall  in  Montgomery  street, 
and  he  played  for  me  that  night  and  also  played  the 
obligato  to  the  slumber  song  by  Randegger.  I  never  sang 
it  so  well  in  my  life.  Gustave  Scott  was  the  accompanist 
that  evening,  and  it  proved  to  be  the  choice  number  of 
the  concert.  Mr.  Hinrichs  married  one  of  my  talented 
pupils,  Miss  Nellie  Paddock.  She  was  not  only  a  sweet 
singer,  but  also  a  pianist  of  repute,  and  to  hear  those 
artists  play  was  truly  a  treat.  They  were  popular  for  a 
number  of  years  before  Julius  died,  some  time  in  the 
eighties.  I  never  heard  what  Mrs.  Hinrichs  did  after  the 
death  of  her  husband.  I  was  living  in  San  Bernardino 
at  the  time,  and  when  I  returned  to  San  Francisco  I 
moved  to  the  Western  addition  and  never  met  any  of  the 
Hinrichs  family  until  years  after,  when  I  moved  to  Oak- 
land in  1891  and  after  the  earthquake.  The  youngest 
son,  August  Hinrichs,  is  the  popular  leader  of  Ye  Lib- 
erty theater  orchestra,  Oakland,  and  at  this  theater  he 
charms  his  hearers  with  the  magic  touch  of  his  treasured 
Stradivarius  which  he  uses  with  such  artistic  skill.  For 
years  he  was  leader  in  the  orchestras  of  old  San  Fran- 
cisco. After  the  earthquake  he  found  in  Oakland  a  per- 

241 


manent  refuge  where  he  can  continue  his  excellent  work, 
which  is  duly  appreciated  by  the  constant  patrons  of  this 
theater. 

H.   B.    PASMORE 

Mr.  Pasmore,  composer  and  teacher  of  harmony,  studied 
harmony  and  organ  and  singing  with  John  P.  Morgan 
until  the  latter's  death.  Later  he  studied  organ  with  J.  H. 
Dohrmann  and  piano  with  Professor  Lisser.  When  he  was 
twenty-five  years  old  he  studied  in  Leipsic  the  art  of  com- 
position and  harmony,  a  branch  of  music  he  is  eminently 
able  to  teach.  He  is  still  teaching  in  San  Francisco.  He 
has  written  many  fine  songs  and  has  translated  with 
Torek,  Jodassohn's  "Manual  of  Harmony." 

WALLACE  A.    SABIN,   F.   R.    C.   O.,   F.   A.   G.   O. 

Mr.  Sabin  was  born  in  Northamptonshire,  England.  His 
education  was  acquired  at  Chardstock  College  and  Mag- 
dalen College,  school,  Brackley.  He  studied  piano  and  organ 
under  Dr.  M.  J.  Monk,  organist  of  Banbury  parish  church, 
and  later  piano,  organ,  theory,  etc.,  under  Dr.  T.  W.  Dodds, 
Queen's  College,  Oxford.  He  was  graduated  as  associate 
and  later  as  fellow  the  Royal  College  of  Organists,  London. 
He  was  organist  of  Magdalen  College  school,  Brackley, 
1882-1886;  St.  George's  church,  Oxford,  1887-1889;  or- 
ganist and  choirmaster,  S.  S.,  Mary  and  John,  Oxford, 
1889-1893;  assistant  organist,  Queen's  College,  Oxford, 
1886-1893;  organist  and  choirmaster,  All  Saints',  Warwick, 
1893-1894.  He  came  to  California  in  October,  1894,  to 
take  position  of  organist  and  choirmaster  of  St.  Luke's 
Church,  San  Francisco,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
fire  of  1906.  Since  that  time  he  has  played  at  First 
Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  San  Francisco.  In  1895  he 
became  organist  of  Temple  Emanuel,  San  Francisco,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  He  has  been  director  since  1894  of 
Vested  Choir  Association  of  San  Francisco  and  vicinity; 
director  of  Saturday  Morning  (ladies')  orchestra  and 
Twentieth  Century  Musical  club,  giving  such  works  as 
Bach's  "Passion,"  Handel's  "Alexander's  Feast,"  etc.  He 
was  representative  as  California  organist,  World's  Fair, 
St.  Louis,  1904,  giving  two  recitals.  He  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Musicians'  club,  twice  a  director  of  the  Bo- 
hemian club,  and  composed  the  music  for  a  forest  play 
entitled  St.  Patrick  at  Tara,  given  at  a  midsummer  jinks 
of  the  Bohemian  club.  At  present  he  is  dean  of  the 
Northern  California  Chapter  of  the  American  Guild  of 

242 


Organists,  conductor  of  the  Loring  club  and  the  choral 
section  of  the  San  Francisco  Musical  club,  and  is  engaged 
in  teaching  and  composition. 

JOHN    W.    METCALF 

California  has  produced  her  share  of  composers.  They 
have  been  prominent  as  pianists,  violinists,  leaders  of 
musical  bodies  and  teachers  of  harmony.  They  are 
writers  of  the  highest  merit  and  some  can  be  classed  with 
the  song  writers  of  Europe.  The  state  is  too  young  for 
many  native  composers.  Our  musicians  all  came  to  us 
in  the  days  of  gold,  and  others  who  came  later  educated 
their  sons  and  daughters  in  the  East  and  in  Europe  in  the 
highest  art  of  music  and,  returning  to  the  state,  made  a 
place  for  themselves  as  writers  of  music. 

John  W.  Metcalf  for  the  last  twenty-one  years  has 
been  among  us  as  teacher  of  piano,  harmony  and  a  song 
writer  of  the  highest  order,  and  we  are  glad  to  claim  him, 
even  if  he  is  not  a  native  son.  We  love  his  music  and 
appreciate  the  writer  who  is  able  to  give  to  the  singing 
world  soulful  compositions  that  compare  with  those  of 
Schubert  and  Mendelssohn.  They  are  superlatively  cor- 
rect and  scholarly.  I  am  not  a  song  writer  but  a  song 
singer,  and  when  I  find  such  compositions  I  am  proud 
to  interpret  them  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

John  W.  Metcalf  is  a  product  of  my  state,  Illinois,  and, 
like  the  writer,  he  inherited  his  musical  talent  from  the 
maternal  side.  His  first  teacher  was  his  mother's  sister, 
who  was  a  pupil  of  Bozzini  and  prominent  as  a  pianist 
and  vocalist.  In  1877  he  went  to  Leipsic  to  complete  his 
schooling  in  music.  He  was  accepted  as  a  pupil  at  the 
Royal  Conservatory  and  was  one  of  thirty  who  passed.  He 
studied  faithfully  three  or  four  years,  piano  with  Carle 
Reinecke  and  Louis  Maas;  theory  with  Ernest  and  Alfred 
Richter;  composition  with  Reinecke,  Rust  and  Jasassohn. 
The  director  of  the  conservatory,  Conrad  Schleints,  a 
warm  personal  friend  of  Mendelssohn,  gave  solicitous 
attention  to  the  promising  young  American  and  bestowed 
upon  him  at  graduation  the  coveted  Hilbig  prize,  which 
had  been  won  but  twelve  times  in  the  history  of  the  con- 
servatory. After  returning  to  America,  he  taught  four 
years  near  Chicago,  one  year  at  the  Dana  Institute  in 
Ohio,  and  one  year  as  head  of  the  piano  department  of 
the  Boston  Conservatory.  He  left  Boston  on  account  of 
ill  health.  After  directing  for  three  years  the  Garfield  Uni- 
versity at  Wichita,  Kas.,  he  came  to  Oakland,  Cal.,  where 

243 


he  still  resides,  and  we  are  proud  to  claim  him  as  one  of 
California's  composers  and  renowned  teachers  of  the  piano- 
forte. I  feel  honored  to  sing  his  songs  and  teach  them 
to  my  pupils.  I  append  what  I  consider  one  of  his  best : 

ABSENCE 

Sometimes  between  long  shadows  on  the  grass 
The  little  truant  waves  of  sunlight  pass, 
My  eyes  grow  dim  with  tenderness  the  while, 
Thinking  I   see  thee,  thinking  I  see  thee  smile. 

And  sometimes  in  the  twilight  gloom,  apart, 
The  tall  trees  whisper,  whisper  heart  to  heart, 
From  my  fond  lips  the  eager  answers  fall, 
Thinking  I  hear  thee,  thinking  I  hear  thee  call. 

GEORGE   LINCOLN    BLAKE 

Mr.  Blake,  eldest  son  of  George  H.  Blake  and  Margaret 
R.  Blake,  was  born  in  Stockton,  California,  July  8,  1858. 
When  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  began  his  musical 
education  under  Prof.  Henry  Von  der  Mehden.  He 
was  a  conscientious  and  faithful  student.  Four  years 
later  his  progress  was  so  marked  that  his  instructor  gave 
him  first  cornet  place  in  the  Silver  Cornet  Band,  which 
was  composed  of  his  advanced  pupils.  The  excellent 
work  of  the  band  was  soon  recognized  and  the  first 
great  public  performance  was  at  the  old  Woodwards 
Garden,  before  ten  thousand  people.  Their  performance 
was  received  with  tremendous  acknowledgment  from  the 
public.  The  band  continued  in  its  good  work  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1875  he  made  an  educational  visit 
around  the  world  and  visited  all  places  of  interest  and" 
heard  the  music  of  the  Old  World  and  when  occasion 
presented  also  assisted  in  various  theaters  in  the  cities 
where  he  sojourned.  He  returned  once  more  to  Cali- 
fornia in  the  fall  of  1876,  resuming  his  musical  and  pro- 
fessional engagements  until  September  30,  1879.  He  then 
made  a  second  trip  to  the  Old  World,  visiting  Queenstown, 
Antwerp,  Cork  and  other  cities.  He  returned  to  Califor- 
nia once  more  by  way  of  the  Indias  and  Japan,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1881. 

When  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  he  began  playing 
in  the  California  theater  orchestra  and  remained  there 
during  the  leadership  of  Charles  Schultz,  and  at  the 
same  time  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Regiment  band 
at  the  Park.  In  1887  he  moved  to  San  Bernardino  and 
during  his  residence  there  formed  and  was  leader  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  band,  was  also  the  local  leader  of  the 

244 


Mrs.  Winona  Bruce-Schmidt  Juliet  McMaul  Mabel  L.  Drake 

Jean  Louderback  Lorena  Dickey  Dolores  D.  Ferguson 

Bernard  McMahan  Lorena  Kimball  Geo.  Allison 

PUPILS  OF  THE   1900's 


orchestra  at  the  Grand  Opera  house  when  his  services 
were  needed  for  the  passing  shows  without  orchestra.  He 
remained  in  this  capacity  until  1879  when  he  moved  to 
Santa  Cruz  and  remained  until  1894  returning  to  Oakland 
and  finally  settling  in  San  Francisco  where  he  continued 
in  his  professional  line  in  the  various  theaters  and 
musical  demonstrations  which  presented  themselves  until 
the  earthquake,  when  the  theater  where  he  was  employed 
was  destroyed  and  music,  like  other  business  was  at  a 
standstill.  For  over  thirty  years  he  has  played  with  the 
best  musical  talent  on  the  coast  and  has  been  an  accept- 
able and  reliable  musician  in  any  capacity  in  which  he 
has  been  called.  After  the  disaster  he  came  to  Oakland 
and  was  at  once  engaged  to  play  at  the  Ye  Liberty 
theater  under  the  able  management  of  Director  August 
Hinrichs.  At  this  theater  he  is  at  present  actively  em- 
ployed. 

PROP.   HUGO   MANSFELDT 

Prof.  Mansfeldt,  whom  all  recognize  as  the  dean  of 
pianists,  needs  no  words  from  me  to  place  him  in  higher 
estimation  of  the  people  of  California.  My  friendship  with 
him  extends  through  many  years  of  musical  companionship 
and  during  that  time  he  has  risen  until  now  he  is  the 
acknowledged  master  of  the  instrument,  and  holds  the  most 
distinguished  position  in  the  musical  world.  His  art  in 
bringing  out  from  time  to  time  such  a  splendid  array  of 
clever  pianists  is  proof  positive  of  his  excellent  qualities 
as  a  teacher  and  has  fixed  his  reputation  beyond  cavil. 
Much  more  could  be  said  in  regard  to  his  artistic  repu- 
tation but  it  would  be  superfluous  reiterations  of  facts 
that  are  known  to  all  who  have  heard  him  or  have 
the  advantage  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  him  as 
I  have.  I  feel  honored  to  place  this  sketch  of  him  in 
my  history  with  other  distinguished  musical  celebrities 
of  this  age  and  generation. 

A.    w.    KLOSE. 

The  subject  of  my  sketch,  A.  W.  Klose,  was  one  of 
our  pioneer  singers.  In  1852,  when  I  was  a  girl  of  six- 
teen, he  sang  the  bass  in  the  choir  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Stockton.  He  was  there  for  three  years.  He 
was  born  January  25,  1831,  in  Verden,  kingdom  of  Han- 
over, Germany  and  educated  there.  He  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  to  Stockton  in  the  early  part  of  1854. 
Business  called  him  to  San  Francisco  in  1862.  After 

245 


he  left  Stockton  we  never  met  again  until  September  26, 
1896,  in  Oakland,  after  forty-two  years.  He  belonged 
to  the  Handel  &  Hayden  society  from  1860  to  1867.  At 
that  time  I  was  in  Santa  Cruz.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Harmonic  society,  Prof.  Dohrmann, 
director.  Later  John  P.  Morgan  was  leader.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Orpheus  society 
of  male  singers,  conductor,  Prof.  McDougal.  Connected 
with  the  Orpheus  was  also  a  choral  of  women's  and  men's 
voices.  They  gave  some  fine  concerts  in  Oakland  at 
that  time.  At  the  death  of  Prof.  McDougal  this  society 
went  out  of  existence,  but  afterward  reorganized  with 
men's  voices  only,  as  it  now  exists.  Mr.  Klose  was  one 
of  the  members  of  its  musical  committee  for  years.  While 
in  San  Francisco  he  was  director  of  the  Methodist  choir 
until  he  came  to  Oakland  to  reside.  He  sang  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  choir  for  over  thirty-five  years.  He 
retired  about  three  years  ago.  He  went  to  his  final  rest 
August  19,  1912,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  The 
death  of  my  friend  records  the  last  of  the  galaxy  of 
fine  men  singers  who  came  here  in  the  earlier  days  to 
seek  wealth.  He  was  always  ready  to  assist  in  the 
advancement  of  the  best  music.  He  sang  in  the  days 
when  we  were  judged  by  the  knowledge  of  how  to  sing 
correctly  and  with  intelligent  understanding  of  the  work. 
He  was  always  a  devout  Christian,  an  efficient  worker  in 
the  Sabbath  school  and  endeared  himself  to  all  by  his 
quiet,  dignified  manner.  I  think  this  testimony  will  stand 
for  him  in  every  community  where  he  sojourned.  I,  as 
one  of  his  earliest  friends,  gladly  pay  him  my  last  tribute 
of  respect  and  place  his  name  in  affectionate  remembrance 
in  my  record  of  old  singers.  Old-time  friend,  "rest  in 
Peace." 

SAN  FRANCISCO'S  CELEBRATED  FRENCH  HORN  QUARTETTE 
GEO.  FLETCHER,  WM.  E.  BLAKE,  NATHANIEL  PAGE, 

GEORGE  STOREY 

The  picture  facing  page  118  was  taken  in  the  Bohemian 
Grove  on  the  Russian  river  during  the  annual  outing  in  1895. 
This  quartette  was  part  of  the  Philharmonic  society  of  San 
Francisco.  These  musicians  with  Mr.  Wm.  Wellman,  flutist, 
were  engaged  during  the  season  of  revelry  among  the  pines 
and  with  their  leader,  Herman  Brandt,  discoursed  the 
music  that  made  the  hills  resound  with  their  funeral 
chants  over  the  death  of  dull  care.  Since  this  time  Mr. 
Fletcher  has  died,  Mr.  Page  is  now  in  London  and  has 
risen  with  great  honors  as  a  composer  as  well  as  a  fine 

246 


Pauline  Joran 
Elsie  Joran 


Mrs.  Blake-Alverson 
Lulu  Joran 


THE  JORAN  QUARTETTE,   1883 


musician  and  California  is  proud  of  her  native  son.  Mr. 
Storey  and  my  son,  Mr.  Blake,  are  still  in  San  Francisco, 
playing  when  the  occasion  presents. 

PROF1.    MAURO    SOLANO 

Prof.  Solano,  one  of  our  best  known  musicians,  has  been 
a  prominent  harpist  among  us  since  1873,  when  he  came 
here  from  Guadalajara,  Mexico.  He  was  married  July  24, 
1862.  He  resided  in  Guadalajara  eight  years,  then  moved 
to  Mazatlan  and  lived  there  three  years.  Later  he  came 
to  San  Francisco  and  taught  the  harp  there  for  seven- 
teen years.  I  had  always  enjoyed  his  excellent  playing  in 
the  different  theaters  of  San  Francisco  but  it  was  not 
until  I  returned  to  San  Francisco  in  1888  that  I  fully 
appreciated  his  wonderful  art  in  playing  the  Spanish 
harp.  I  took  up  my  residence  on  Geary  street  in  a  lower 
flat  and  across  the  court  in  the  upper  flat  was  the  profes- 
sor's studio.  We  became  mutual  friends,  being  in  the 
same  line  of  work  and  I  had  the  advantage  of  listening 
to  his  best  efforts  at  his  own  practice  hour  night  after 
night,  if  he  had  no  other  engagement.  How  I  longed  to 
try  my  voice  with  this  beautiful  music  and  be  accom- 
panied by  a  master.  At  last  my  opportunity  arrived 
when  he  asked  me  to  come  and  sing  for  him.  He  had 
fine  songs  for  my  voice.  I  gladly  accepted  his  gracious 
compliment  and  it  truly  was  an  hour  of  musical  delight. 
It  was  not  my  last  pleasure  for  we  had  many  such  hours 
and  his  charming  wife  was  an  appreciative  listener  and 
would  enthusiastically  applaud  our  efforts.  Those  were 
happy  hours  but  they  too  soon  came  to  an  end  for  he 
had  built  a  home  in  Alameda  for  his  old  age.  Later  I 
came  to  Oakland  and  we  have  never  met  since.  He  was 
actively  employed  for  several  years  after  that  period  but  has 
retired  and  lives  in  Alameda.  I  read  an  account  of  his 
fiftieth  wedding  anniversary  on  June  24,  1912,  which  was 
celebrated  with  a  high  mass  of  thanks  at  St.  Joseph's  Church 
in  Alameda.  In  his  profession  he  had  many  of  our  best 
known  women  for  his  pupils,  among  them  Miss  Beatrice 
Tobin  who  is  now  Madam  Duval  of  Paris,  Miss  Theresa 
Fair  now  Mrs.  Oelrichs  of  New  York;  Mrs.  Fitzsimmons, 
Miss  Jenny  Dunphy,  Miss  Gertrude  Carroll. 


247 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SEVEN 


WITH  MY  PUPILS 


WILLIAM    H.    KEITH 

|R.  KEITH  was  born  in  the  sixties  in  San 
Francisco.  As  a  young  man  he  held  for  several 
years  the  position  of  manager  of  the  art  depart- 
ment of  Shreve's,  corner  of  Montgomery  and 
Sutter  streets.  He  began  his  voice  lessons  with 
Moretti.  After  a  period  discontinued  and  began  his 
studies  with  Madam  Blake- Alverson.  After  studying  with 
her  some  time,  he  decided  to  adopt  music  as  his  pro- 
fession. He  went  to  Paris  in  1890  where,  upon  the 
advice  of  Jean  de  Rezske,  he  studied  several  years  with 
Sbriglia  and  then  prepared  himself  for  opera  under 
Giraudet  of  the  Conservatory  of  Music.  He  then  went 
to  London  and  prepared  himself  for  oratorio  under  Ran- 
degger.  His  European  career  was  one  of  continuous 
success  and  he  sang  in  London,  Edinburg,  Berlin,  Dres- 
den, Paris,  etc.  His  first  great  work  in  American  con- 
certs was  at  the  Worcester  musical  festival  in  company 
with  Madam  Melba,  Mme.  Lillian  Blauvelt,  Campanari 
and  other  artists,  all  under  the  baton  of  Carl  Zerrahn. 
After  singing  in  concert  and  oratorio  and  other  musical 
attractions  for  a  number  of  years,  he  received  a  flattering 
offer  from  the  Mollenhauer  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Brooklyn,  to  teach  the  vocal  department,  the  place  he  has 
so  successfully  held  since  1901,  besides  having  large 
classes  of  private  pupils,  both  in  Brooklyn  and  New 
York.  He  is  considered  a  leading  concert  baritone  of 
New  York  and  his  services  are  constantly  in  demand. 
Mr.  Keith  has  made  several  visits  to  California  with 
eminent  artists  like  Rivarde,  Lachaume  and  others. 

MADAM    TREGAR 

Madam  Tregar  was  one  of  my  San  Bernardino  pupils  of 
English  parentage.  At  that  time  she  was  married  and  liv- 
ing in  a  modest  way,  desiring  some  day  to  be  able  to  satisfy 
her  longing  to  sing.  When  she  heard  of  my  singing 

248 


and  teaching  she  ventured  to  call  and  consult  me  in 
regard  to  her  voice.  Her  appearance  did  not  inspire  me 
with  much  encouragement,  but  after  hearing  her  story 
I  decided  to  see  what  could  be  done.  She  had  never  had 
any  instruction  except  on  the  piano.  I  tried  her  rather 
doubtfully.  To  my  surprise  I  found  she  possessed  more 
pure  and  natural  tones  than  I  had  ever  heard  in  any 
voice.  She  had  a  range  of  almost  two  octaves,  every  note 
without  a  flaw.  I  felt  sorry  that  there  was  so  much  to 
find  in  the  voice,  without  a  personality  to  round  out  the 
perfect  instrument.  It  was  evident  she  would  be  a  thor- 
ough student,  and  do  her  work  conscientiously,  if  she 
began.  I  resolved  to  try  and  see  what  could  be  done. 
At  the  end  of  sixteen  months  the  change  in  the  voice  and 
woman  was  almost  incomprehensible.  The  obstacles  which 
seemed  unsurmountable  at  first  were  but  the  first  defects 
to  be  overcome,  but  with  good  understanding  and  proper 
placement  these  faults  disappeared  as  quickly  as  the  frost 
before  the  morning  sun.  At  the  closing  recital  of  my 
sixteen  months'  stay  she  sang  for  her  number  Gounod's 
Ave  Maria  with  violin  accompaniment,  in  the  original 
key,  to  the  delight  and  great  astonishment  of  the  San 
Bernardino  people,  who  rather  made  her  the  butt  of  their 
musical  jokes  and  hardly  gave  her  recognition  previously, 
as  they  thought  her  musical  ability  was  of  the  most 
amateur  sort.  Her  singing  in  the  sixteen  months  of 
application  in  the  right  direction  and  proper  placement, 
brought  out  one  of  the  most  phenomenal  voices  which 
has  found  favor  abroad.  She  lives  in  London ;  sang  for 
the  late  King  Edward  and  his  royal  household  guests 
and  still  holds  sway  among  the  musical  people  of  London 
as  the  highest  soprano  from  America  in  this  century. 
After  leaving  the  south  I  never  knew  what  had  become 
of  her  and  often  wondered  if  she  kept  up  the  good  work 
begun  in  1888.  In  1904,  eighteen  years  after,  she  sur- 
prised me  by  calling  upon  me  to  thank  me  for  what  I 
had  done  for  her  and  her  story  in  this  time  seemed  like 
a  romance  to  me.  After  I  left  San  Bernardino  she  had 
succeeded  so  well  that  she  concluded  to  go  to  her  former 
home  in  London  and  continue  the  work  and,  after  eighteen 
years  of  success,  she  came  to  San  Francisco,  stopped  by 
the  wayside  to  find  her  first  instructor  and  with  deep 
emotion  thanked  her  for  her  assistance  and  good  work 
when  she  needed  a  friend. 


249 


THE     JORAN     QUARTET 

Prominent  among  the  younger  musicians  of  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  80's  were  three  talented  children  since  become 
famous  both  in  this  country  and  England,  where  they  now 
reside.  Their  only  teacher  was  their  mother,  who  was  an 
English  pianist  of  repute.  They  formed  a  concert  troupe 
in  1883  with  Miss  M.  Hyde,  accompanist  and  director. 

Miss   M.   Hyde,  accompanist  and  director. 
Miss  Lulu  Joran,   16  years  old,  piano  virtuoso. 
Miss   Pauline,   14  years  old,  violin  virtuoso. 
Miss  Elsie,  12  years  old,  piano  virtuoso. 
Mrs.  M.   R.   Blake,  soloist. 

It  was  most  remarkable  how  these  children  interpreted 
the  most  difficult  masterpieces,  and  played  them  with  art. 
Once  at  a  special  concert  in  the  Metropolitan  temple,  San 
Francisco,  the  youngest  of  them,  Miss  Elsie,  was  seated 
at  a  Stein  way  grand  piano,  too  small  to  touch  the  pedals, 
(an  adjustment  had  to  be  made)  and  with  sixty  of  our  best 
musicians  on  the  stage  she  played  from  memory  the  most 
difficult  concerto.  All  the  children  possessed  the  art  of 
absolute  pitch  and  they  were  able  with  bandaged  eyes 
to  tell  the  notes  of  any  chords  that  were  sounded.  Miss 
Pauline  was  an  excellent  violinist  besides  possessing  a 
fine  contralto  voice  which  I  had  trained  for  the  space  of 
a  year  and  a  half.  She  is,  I  am  very  proud  to  say,  a 
most  beautiful  singer  in  London  today  at  the  age  of 
forty  years.  In  1910  I  clipped  from  one  of  the  English 
papers  the  following:  "Pauline  Joran,  one  of  the  most 
gifted  young  American  opera  singers  now  in  Europe, 
made  her  debut  recently  in  Milan  under  Sonzogno,  singing 
at  the  Teatro  Lirico,  the  role  of  Santuzza  and  Nedda  with 
the  greatest  success.  She  has  been  singing  in  Great  Bri- 
tain under  Sir  Augustus  Harris  and  will  be  heard  here 
next  season." 

A  teacher  can  be  proud  that  her  work  of  the  founda- 
tion of  tone  building  resulted  in  such  a  successful  finish. 
Pauline  possessed  the  talent  and  I  could  foresee  the 
future  if  she  had  the  proper  means,  for  she  sang  with 
taste  and  feeling.  She  accompanied  the  singer  with  grace- 
ful interpretation  on  her  violin  and  played  the  piano  like 
an  artist.  We  traveled  and  sang  together  for  two  years 
and  went  to  Stockton,  Sacramento,  San  Jose  and  all 
the  smaller  places  around  San  Francisco.  The  latter 
part  of  the  eighties  the  Jorans  returned  to  London  where 
they  have  remained  ever  since.  In  her  girlish  way 
Pauline  used  to  say,  "Oh,  dear  auntie,  when  I  am  a  great 
singer  won't  you  be  glad  and  proud  of  me?"  And  so  I 

250 


am,  and  I  hope  all  who  have  had  the  same  help  will  be 
as  successful  as  this  young  pupil. 

WM.    P.     MELVIN 

During  my  professional  life  as  a  vocal  teacher  I  have 
been  called  upon  to  part  with  some  of  my  musical  family 
and  also  to  perform  the  last  tribute  which  one  friend  can 
pay  to  another — to  sing  the  song  asked  for  on  his  death- 
bed. During  my  residence  in  Oakland  I  have  parted  with 
five  of  my  beloved  pupils.  The  first  string  of  my  lute 
was  severed  by  God's  decree  when  he  called  William  P. 
Melvin  to  a  higher  life.  He  was  born  in  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  March  18,  1859,  and  came  here  in  his  infancy 
with  his  parents  from  Springfield,  111.  Dr.  Melvin, 
his  father,  entered  the  drug  business  and  William  was 
engaged  in  the  same  business  with  him.  Later  on  William 
was  secretary  of  the  Mountain  View  Cemetery  associa- 
tion, which  office  he  held  until  his  last  illness. 

He  had  a  beautiful,  resonant  and  full  bass  voice.  He 
came  to  my  studio  some  time  in  1895  and  was  enrolled 
among  my  students,  and  coming  from  a  musical  family, 
his  brother,  Supreme  Justice  Henry  Melvin,  possessing 
a  fine  baritone  voice,  and  his  beloved  sister,  Mrs.  Mollie 
Melvin-Dewing,  an  excellent  mezzo-soprano,  it  was  not 
strange  he  sang  so  well  in  a  few  months.  William  re- 
ceived his  instruction  in  the  evening  when  his  daily  duties 
were  over  and  came  to  my  studio  which  was  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  building  at  1108^  Broadway,  over  the 
Clark  Wise  music  store.  He  continued  his  studies  until 
1897  when  his  sickness  began  to  affect  his  beautiful 
voice  and  his  lessons  were  necessarily  discontinued.  The 
first  two  years  his  progress  was  so  satisfactory  that  I 
hoped  his  third  year  would  be  the  crowning  year  of  his 
efforts  as  an  efficient  and  splendid  bass  singer.  My 
heart  sank  within  me  when  I  had  learned  the  nature  of 
the  sickness  that  had  permanently  fastened  itself  upon 
him.  He  was  as  reluctant  to  discontinue  as  I  was  to 
have  him,  but  we  were  obliged  to  submit  to  the  inevitable 
decree,  "Thou  shalt  die  and  not  live."  It  was  a  sad 
parting.  I  tried  to  be  cheerful  and  held  out  hopes  for  his 
recovery,  but  it  was  not  to  be.  On  October  3,  1899,  he 
was  laid  away  in  the  quiet  tomb  amidst  beautiful  blos- 
soms and  many  tears  from  those  who  knew  him  best. 
Mr.  Melvin  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  personalities — 
gentle  and  kind  as  a  woman,  always  genial  and  accommo- 
dating, with  always  a  pleasant  word  for  every  one.  Even 

251 


though  suffering  from  this  disease  which  no  doubt  made 
life  a  burden,  no  one  in  his  presence  was  aware  of  his 
suffering.  He  was  always  bright  and  cheery.  As  I 
passed  his  casket  with  other  sad  friends  to  take  a  fare- 
well look  upon  him  and  place  upon  his  coffin  my  tribute 
of  violets,  my  tears  dropped  upon  his  last  resting  place 
as  I  beheld  all  that  was  mortal  of  my  beloved  and  affec- 
tionate pupil  for  whom  I  mourned  as  a  mother  mourns 
for  her  son.  A  prayer  arose  to  my  lips  to  the  God  of 
the  universe  that  as  peacefully  as  he  slept  in  his  earthly 
casket  that  He  would  give  him  the  peace  that  passeth 
all  understanding  when  he  entered  the  portals  of  Heaven. 
Rest,  sweet  spirit,  rest.  You  are  absent  but  not  forgotten 
by  your  sincere  and  devoted  teacher  and  friend. 

ROSE    CHAMPION 

The  second  one  of  my  musical  family  to  pass  out  of 
life  was  Miss  Rose  Champion.  As  Jesus  wept  at  the 
grave  of  his  dear  friend  Lazarus,  I  wept,  that  one  so 
young  and  gifted  should  be  taken  away  from  her  little 
family  of  three  beautiful  girls,  and  a  sweet-voiced  singer 
should  be  forever  stilled.  She  began  her  lessons  with 
me  in  1897  and  continued  until  1899.  She  was  possessed 
of  a  clear,  lyric  soprano  voice  and  sang  with  ease  and 
grace  and  with  soulful  touch  she  fascinated  the  listener 
by  her  intelligent  interpretation  of  song.  I  predicted 
for  her  a  future  to  be  envied,  but  circumstances  over 
which  I  had  no  control  came  in  the  way  of  her  future 
progress  and  she  unwillingly  made  a  change  and  I  never 
heard  a  song  from  her  after  that.  When  she  was  married 
she  sent  for  me  to  sing  at  her  wedding  at  her  home. 
As  I  was  ready  to  return  to  my  home  she  came  to  me  be- 
fore she  went  on  her  trip,  and  embraced  me  and  said,  "I 
knew  you  would  come,  and  you  have  made  me  most  happy  for 
I  always  loved  you  so.  It  was  not  my  fault  that  I  left 
you."  I  told  her  I  was  sure  of  that  and  that  I  sang 
for  her  with  all  my  heart  and  the  fact  that  she  had 
sent  for  me  to  perform  the  highest  favor  she  could  ask 
was  sufficient  proof  that  she  had  been  loyal  to  her  first 
instructions.  For  several  years  she  lived  happily  as 
Mrs.  James  Lanyon.  On  April  21,  1908,  I  read  with 
the  deepest  regret  the  announcement  of  her  death.  Having 
met  with  an  accident  I  was  not  able  to  attend  the  funeral 
or  to  hear  the  story  of  the  taking  away  of  such  a  bright, 
intelligent  and  young  mother  and  sweet  singer,  but  there 
lingers  a  sweet  memory  which  will  last  as  long  as  I  live. 

252 


Gertrude  Dowling 

Inza  Valentine 
Mrs.  Mary  Kroh-Rodan 


Stella  Kiel  Anna  Krueckle 

Stella  Valentine 
Mrs.  Caroline  Louderback 


PUPILS  OF  THE   1900's 


When  I  think  of  her,  I  also  think  of  what  might  have 
been  had  circumstances  decreed  otherwise.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  she  may  be  foremost  in  the  songs  of  the  Immortal 
Choir.  Sweetly  sleep,  sweet  singer,  until  the  Grand  Amen 
of  the  Lost  Chord  shall  be  sung  at  the  last  great  day,  with 
all  the  redeemed  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous. 

LORINA    ALLEN    KIMBALL 

The  third  string  of  my  musical  lute  was  snapped 
asunder  when  the  death  knell  sounded  for  a  most  beloved 
and  talented  pupil,  Miss  Lorina  Allen  Kimball.  A 
young  miss  of  sixteen  summers,  she  had  come  to  my 
studio,  212  Eleventh  street,  with  her  mother  one  after- 
noon in  1903.  I  found  a  voice  and  a  personality  that 
could  not  be  overlooked  in  one  so  young.  Her  notes 
were  pure  and  limpid,  untouched  by  improper  use  or 
bad  training.  I  gladly  enrolled  her  among  my  singers 
and  she  began  at  once  with  her  vocal  instruction.  She 
sang  with  marked  progress  for  four  months  when  there 
was  a  break  in  the  regularity  of  her  lessons.  She  had 
entered  the  Oakland  High  school  and  with  her  studies 
she  was  unable  to  attend  to  the  voice  as  she  should. 
Lorina  was  born  in  Manchester,  New  Hampshire,  March 
12,  1886,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Oakland,  August  5, 
1906,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  In  1905  her  mother 
was  called  away  to  Manchester  on  business  and  Lorina 
came  to  live  with  me  during  her  mother's  absence.  It 
was  then  that  I  learned  to  know  and  understand  her 
character  and  personality.  I  had  moved  to  116  Eleventh 
street,  to  the  old  Abbott  home.  There  was  a  large  room 
built  on  for  an  art  studio  and  another  room  led  off 
from  it  which  Lorina  called  her  room.  I  made  this 
large  room  my  studio  and  occupied  my  couch  on  one 
side  of  it  and  it  was  here  we  worked  each  evening.  She 
was  a  most  excellent  student  and  no  time  was  wasted 
when  her  lessons  were  to  be  attended  to.  A  bright  pupil 
with  clear  reasoning  ability,  she  was  first  at  one  lesson, 
then  the  other.  I  used  to  watch  her  evenings  as  she 
sat  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  table  with  her  books, 
in  deep  study.  I  often  thought  of  her  possibilities  and 
speculated  on  all  she  could  do.  But  our  Master  gives  us 
from  time  to  time  just  such  rare  flowers  of  promise  for  a 
short  season,  then  quietly  transplants  them  into  His 
safe  keeping  from  the  bitter  blasts  of  life's  stormy 
weather.  He  knows  they  are  not  made  to  stand  the 
rough  usages  of  life.  After  finishing  her  term  at  the 

253 


high  school  she  entered  the  summer  school  at  Berkeley. 
While  there  she  contracted  a  cold  which  became  alarming 
but  she  was  unconscious  that  it  was  touching  her  vitals 
and  kept  busy  with  her  books.  After  the  school  closed 
her  mother  returned  and  finding  she  did  not  improve, 
removed  her  to  her  home  and  concluded  she  had  better 
be  attended  to  at  once.  She  had  been  gone  for  over  a 
month  and  I  supposed  she  was  all  right  and  was  hoping  to 
see  her  each  week  return  and  resume  her  work.  After 
eight  weeks  had  passed  I  began  to  be  alarmed  and  made 
inquiries  about  her  and  I  was  informed  that  she  had 
been  seriously  ill  for  days  and  by  her  request  the  news 
was  kept  from  me.  She  failed  rapidly  after  she  went 
home. 

On  the  morning  of  August  5,  1906,  while  I  was  at 
my  breakfast  table,  the  telephone  bell  rang  and  a  voice, 
strange  to  me,  said  "Mrs.  Alverson,  Lorina  Kimball  is 
dead."  Without  any  warning  or  thought  of  receiving 
such  a  shock,  of  course,  the  day  was  done  for  me.  I 
mourned  for  her  as  for  my  own.  A  bright,  sunny  child, 
singing  and  laughing  in  her  childish  glee,  she  made 
many  friends,  among  them,  members  of  the  Amoskeg 
Veterans  who  made  her  the  Daughter  of  the  Regiment 
in  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  presented  her  with  a  beautiful 
silk  flag  and  an  elegant  crescent  pin  of  jewels  for  her 
fine  recitations  and  character  readings. 

A  clearer  mind  I  never  taught  and  I  prayed  and 
hoped  that  nothing  would  intervene  to  stop  her  progress 
that  had  been  so  brilliantly  begun.  But  my  hopes  did 
not  avail.  Before  the  bud  had  unfolded  into  maturity 
it  was  transplanted  into  the  Garden  of  Eden  above.  Only 
those  who  have  lost  loved  ones  are  able  to  feel  how  my 
heart's  deepest  sorrow  went  out  with  this  young  life.  It 
was  a  pity  that  her  notes  could  not  have  been  recorded 
as  they  floated  out  into  the  still  hour  of  the  night.  After 
her  studies  were  over  she  would  beg  of  me  to  join  her  in 
the  song  duets  which  we  had  perfected.  When  I  reasoned 
with  her  not  to  sing,  when  so  tired,  like  a  spoiled  child 
she  pleaded.  "My  dear  Lady  Margaret,  I  am  tired  only 
with  my  studies,  sing  with  me,  I  want  to  rest  before  I 
sleep."  Who  could  resist  the  tender  pleadings  of  the 
tired  song  bird.  I  called  her  my  nightingale  for  her 
singing  was  done  at  night.  One  of  her  songs  was 
the  Nightingale's  Trill  or  Queen  of  the  Night.  The 
memory  of  her  singing  ever  lingers  with  me  like  the 
sweet  perfume  wafted  from  the  distant  isle,  its  subtle 
influence  sinking  upon  the  senses,  calming  the  tired  child 

254 


as  upon  the  mother's  breast  it  rests  in  perfect  peace  and 
confidence.  Its  message  accomplished,  it  floated  away  into 
space  to  travel  on,  and,  forever  until  it  reached  the 
Giver  of  every  perfect  gift  and  rested  in  the  Heavenly 
Courts  above  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

Rest,  weary  pilgrim,  from  toil  reposing, 
Night's  darkening  shadow  round  thee  is  closing, 
Drear  is  the  pathway   frowning  before  thee, 
No  stars  on  high  to  guide  and  watch  o'er  me; 
Rest,  weary  pilgrim;   rest,  weary  pilgrim. 

Rest,   weary   pilgrim,    'till   morning  breaking, 
And  birds  around  thee  bright   songs  awakening ; 
Hark,  through  the  forest  chill  winds  are  blowing, 
Here  there   is    friendship  and  kind  welcome   glowing, 
Rest,  weary  pilgrim ;   rest,  weary  pilgrim. 

— Donizetti. 


PAULINE    PETERSON 

The  fourth  discordant  note  in  my  instrument  came  to 
me  by  the  death  of  one  of  my  later  pupils,  Miss  Pauline 
Peterson,  who  began  with  her  sister,  Miss  Minnie 
Peterson,  in  1896.  She  was  fair  to  look  upon  and  her 
voice  was  sweet  and  pure  and  in  range  two  full  octaves. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  English  Lutheran  church  in 
Grove  and  Sixteenth  streets,  was  one  of  the  Christian 
Endeavor  workers  and  Sabbath  school  teachers  and  her 
ambition  was  to  sing  in  the  choir  and  among  the  young 
people  of  the  church.  During  the  three  years'  director- 
ship of  the  choir,  I  had  gathered  the  young  people 
together  and  the  music  was  of  a  high  order.  A  number 
of  them  sang  in  the  choir. 

During  these  years  Miss  Pauline  had  become  the  prom- 
ised bride  of  the  man  of  her  choice  and  the  day  was  draw- 
ing near  and  all  preparations  were  completed  and  the 
cozy  home  furnished.  Only  a  few  weeks  remained  before 
the  chorus  of  Lohengrin  was  to  be  sung  by  the  young 
voices  of  her  friends  who  loved  her  so  well.  While  we 
propose,  God  disposes,  and  our  expectant  bride  fell  sick 
and  the  edict  went  forth  that  she  should  be  the  Bride  of 
Heaven  and  on  May  1,  1905,  she  passed  away.  Instead 
of  the  wedding  song  I  was  called  upon  to  sing  the  parting 
song  for  the  beloved  pupil.  I  thought  I  had  fully  pre- 
pared myself  for  the  ordeal  and  was  ready  to  comply 
and  perform  the  sad  task  which  befell  me.  After  the 
family  had  passed  into  their  pew,  my  tears  began  to 
start  as  I  saw  the  bowed  head  of  her  devoted  mother, 

255 


who  was  giving  up  her  first-born  child  so  young  to  lie  in 
the  tomb.  But  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  sight  of  the 
white  casket  as  it  was  wheeled  into  the  church,  with 
the  solitary  mourner,  her  promised  husband,  slowly  fol- 
lowing all  that  was  left  of  his  bride-to-be,  robed  as  for 
the  bridal  and  her  shimmering  veil  tied  in  a  large  bow 
knot  and  the  bridal  wreath  placed  lightly  upon  the  casket 
with  lilies  of  the  valley  and  maiden-hair  ferns,  trailing  in 
graceful  festoons  around  the  casket.  Truly  all  the  heroes 
do  not  face  the  cannon's  mouth.  It  requires  bravery  be- 
yond conception  to  do  this  last  mission  for  those  we  love 
and  esteem.  I  realized  for  a  moment  the  difficult  task 
and  during  the  reading  of  the  scriptures  the  battle  was 
raging  within  me.  When  the  moment  came  and  the 
organ  began  the  prelude,  I  arose  as  in  a  dream,  and 
casting  my  eyes  away  from  the  beloved  form,  I  began 
in  a  low  voice  the  beautiful  song  (by  Felix  Marti) 
"By  the  River."  As  I  sang  I  forgot  all  earthly  sorrow 
and  directed  my  thought  above  the  earthly  home  into  the 
blue  vault  of  Heaven  and  I  followed  the  young  spirit 
into  the  everlasting  gates  of  pearl  and  left  her  there. 

Safe  in  the  Arms  of  Jesus, 
Safe  on  his  gentle  breast, 
There  by  his  love  o'ershadowed 
Sweetly  her  soul   shall   rest. 

BERTHA    GRACE    HUNTER 

The  last  and  fifth  string  of  my  musical  lute  became 
silent  and  was  hushed  forever  when  my  sweet  friend  and 
pupil  passed  beyond  into  the  unknown  home  not  made 
with  hands  of  mortals.  Miss  Bertha  Grace  Hunter  was 
born  in  Liverpool,  England,  and  in  1889  came  to  America 
and  then  to  San  Francisco  with  her  parents,  later  remov- 
ing to  Oakland.  She  had  studied  the  piano  in  England 
and  played  well.  In  1893  she  decided  to  take  up  music 
as  a  profession.  She  consulted  Mrs.  Gutterson  who  in- 
formed her  she  possessed  decided  musical  ability,  well 
worth  the  cultivation.  She  began  to  study  with  Otto 
Bendix  of  San  Francisco  who  informed  her  that  she 
understood  interpretation  better  than  most  of  his  pupils. 
Afterward  she  wished  to  become  an  organist  and  became 
the  pupil  of  Mr.  H.  Bretherick.  It  was  at  Pilgrim 
church  that  I  first  met  her.  She  was  organist  there, 
while  I  occupied  a  choir  position.  She  was  a  beautiful 
accompanist  as  well  and  I  could  feel  assured  that  I  would 
have  her  full  artistic  nature  woven  into  the  song  I  sang 

256 


Dolores  Bradley 
Geneva  Griswold 
Geo.  Jackson 


Blanche  Kroh 
Leslie  E.  Woodworth 
Peter  Ramsey 

PUPILS,    1908-1912 


Maud  Gerrior 
Alice  Davies 
Edw.  H.  Sanford 


and  give  me  the  inspiration  to  sing  so  as  to  call  forth 
expressions  of  approval  from  the  worshippers  from  week 
to  week  for  us  both.  She  also  had  a  contralto  voice  of 
much  feeling  and  sympathy  and  came  to  me  for  vocal 
lessons  in  1896  and  was  my  accompanist  in  the  studio 
for  a  year,  when  she  decided  to  visit  England  and  perfect 
herself  on  the  organ.  She  studied  three  years  with  Dr. 
George  Smith  from  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music  in 
London.  She  had  remained  so  long  abroad  she  became 
homesick  and  great  was  the  disappointment  of  her  teacher 
that  she  could  not  remain  three  months  longer  to  take 
her  degree.  Her  longing  for  home  became  so  strong 
she  forfeited  her  honors  to  meet  her  family  at  Christmas. 
Upon  reaching  Oakland  she  was  appointed  organist  of 
the  First  Christian  Scientist  church,  which  position  she 
held  for  seven  years.  Her  untimely  death  in  September, 
1911,  was  a  shock^  to  her  family  and  friends.  Being  of  a 
quiet  disposition  one  would  not  expect  to  find  such  a 
soulful  and  affectionate  nature.  To  know  her  was  to  love 
her.  My  long  association  with  her  in  church  and  studio 
gave  me  an  opportunity  to  know  her  well  and  love  her 
for  her  worth  as  a  true  friend,  a  musical  nature  and 
loyal  to  all  her  associates  and  friends  and  a  most  ardent 
student  in  her  profession.  She  was  in  England  when 
my  accident  occurred  and  since  her  return  I  met  her 
but  seldom.  Her  work  lay  in  another  direction  in  Berke- 
ley. Her  death  was  a  sad  surprise  to  me  and  my  heart- 
felt sympathy  goes  out  to  her  bereaved  parents  and 
devoted  brother  who  mourn  her  loss  grieviously  like  David 
mourned  for  his  son  and  could  not  be  comforted. 
» 

GEORGE  G.  PETERSON 

The  subject  of  my  sketch,  George  G.  Peterson,  began 
his  studies  at  my  studio  1108^  Broadway.  He  had  a 
deep  bass  voice  of  fine  quality  which  he  used  with 
excellent  understanding  and  soon  attracted  attention  at 
the  First  Christian  church  where  he  worshipped.  George 
was  a  devout  Christian  and  prominent  worker  in  the 
church  and  was  in  demand  for  his  musical  worth  as 
well,  singing  so  well  that  he  became  leading  bass  in  the 
choir  and  occupied  the  position  with  honor.  With  all 
his  daily  work  as  an  artisan  he  found  time  to  master 
and  play  successfully  the  violin,  mandolin,  auto  harp  and 
harmonica  combined,  banjo  and  guitar.  He  passed  out 
of  life  April  26th,  1912,  leaving  a  wife,  son  and  daughter 
to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  talented  father.  So  my  musical 

257 


family  comes  and  goes  and  I  am  called  upon  to  lose  them 
first  in  one  way  and  then  in  another.  This  was  a  sad 
surprise  and  a  shock  to  me.  I  wrote  to  him  to  come 
and  see  me  and  the  answer  came,  "George  has  gone  up 
higher.  He  is  not  here  among  us  any  longer."  It  was 
a  sad  message  from  the  devoted  wife.  He  was  still  a  young, 
bright  and  active  man,  but  thirty-seven  years  of  age. 
Truly  "God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  His  wonders  to 
perform."  In  all  things  may  we  be  able  to  say,  "Thy 
will,  not  mine,  be  done." 

ODE  TO  A  VOICE 

Dedicated  to  Lady  Margaret,  with  much  love,  by  Mary  Alice  Sanford. 
Christmas,  1909. 

Singing  forever  from  morn  until  night, 
From  low  and  sad  to  high  and  bright, 
The  voice  of  my  Lady  resounds  in  tfie  air, 
And  tells  all  the  world  to  put  aside  care. 

As  if  watching  the  distant  horizon  blue, 
We  finally  see  the  ships  come  in  view, 
We  hear  the  soft  music  rise  to  her  lips, 
And  those  beautiful  tones  are  our  stately  ships. 

But  listen  again!     Now  what  do  we  hear? 
Why  the  rippling  of  the  waters  clear, 
Or  the  lark's  sweet  song  in  yonder  skies, 
Or  the  soft  flight  of  the  butterflies. 

The  low  murmuring  of  the  breeze, 

The  nodding  of  the  leaves  on  trees, 

The  blushing  rose,  the  lily  pure, 

Is  sung  by  a  voice  which  can  never  be  truer. 

The  anger  of  the  stormy  water, 
The  passion  of  lovers  who  never  falter, 
The  insanity  of  a  jealous  husband's  rage 
Is  sung  by  the  marvelous  voice  of  the  age. 

Her  voice  is  borne  on  the  wings  of  a  dove, 
With  many  kind  thoughts  and  praises  of  love, 
She  has  sung  to  us  all,  and  we'll  never  forget 
The  beautiful  voice  of  my  Lady  Margaret. 

The  writer  of  this  poem,  Mary  Alice  Sanford,  came 
into  my  life  in  1908.  Her  family  moved  into  the  flat 
above  mine  some  time  in  August  of  that  year.  Her  mother 
informed  me  that  she  was  musical,  and  from  the  way  she 
spoke  I  expected  to  see  a  young  woman  of  about  nineteen 
or  twenty  years.  I  was  surprised,  instead,  a  few  days  later, 
to  see  a  slip  of  a  schoolgirl  looking  at  me  in  a  timid  way 

258 


and  rather  reserved  in  manner.  Later  I  invited  her  into 
the  studio  and  I  asked  her  if  she  liked  music,  to  which  she 
said  yes.  During  the  call  she  said  she  wished  to  sing. 
She  had  never  had  any  instruction,  her  music  was  instru- 
mental altogether.  After  she  had  given  me  an  example  of 
her  instrumental  work  I  said  she  should  sing  also,  but  at 
this  she  informed  me  she  could  not  afford  the  vocal  with 
the  other,  but  her  desire  was  to  sing  as  well  as  play.  I 
asked  her  what  ability  she  had  for  reading  or  accompany- 
ing. She  informed  me  she  read  her  notes  rapidly.  At  this 
I  handed  her  the  fifty  lessons  by  Concone  and  opened  to 
the  first  exercises,  asked  her  to  play  while  I  sang  for  her. 
I  thought  perhaps  the  first  lessons  were  too  easy  so  I  gave 
her  a  more  difficult  one,  and  I  found  she  could  read  the 
most  difficult  lessons  in  the  book  and  accompany  with 
the  greatest  ease.  I  asked  her  her  age,  and  she  informed 
me  in  a  month  she  would  be  sixteen  years  old.  I  asked  her 
if  she  would  like  to  earn  her  own  lessons.  She  looked  at 
me  surprised  at  my  proposition.  Before  her  visit  was 
over  it  was  agreed  she  should  be  accompanist  for  my 
students,  who  needed  her  services.  This  was  glorious  news 
to  her  mother,  who  so  greatly  desired  her  to  sing  but  was 
unable  to  give  her  both  branches  at  this  time,  and  she  had 
also  just  pride  that  her  daughter  was  able  through  her 
musical  knowledge  to  give  herself  the  much  longed  for 
opportunity  which  had  come  to  her  so  unexpectedly. 
Everything  was  complete  now,  and  the  lessons  began  at 
once. 

I  found  in  her  a  real  student,  a  most  attentive  listener, 
a  voice  small  but  clear  and  high.  Later  on  in  the  develop- 
ment it  proved  very  elastic,  nothing  acceptable  below 
middle  C.  A  pure  lyric  soprano,  it  was  constantly  develop- 
ing higher  in  the  tones.  I  often  cautioned  her  not  to  sing 
so  high,  it  would  not  do,  when  she  would  reply,  "I  cannot 
help  it,  it  just  goes  there."  I  paid  my  closest  attention  to 
her  for  the  period  of  four  years.  In  that  time  she  had 
not  only  learned  to  sing  and  play,  but  also  studied 
harmony  and  languages.  Latin  and  German  she  studied  in 
school,  Italian  in  the  studio  with  Professor  Arena,  Spanish 
from  her  father,  who  is  a  linguist.  With  all  this  colossal 
work  for  this  young  mind  and  her  achievements  in  technic 
and  languages  I  was  yet  dissatisfied,  for  I  had  not  yet 
received  a  response  that  I  had  longed  and  hoped  for 
while  she  was  drinking  in  all  this  vast  amount  of  knowl- 
edge. She  never  gave  out  to  let  me  see  any  result  of  all 
this  accumulation  of  musical  knowledge  which  I  knew  she 
possessed,  never  asking  a  question  or  advancing  any  question 

259 


or  enthusiastic  outburst  of  expression.  Being  romantic  in 
my  interpretation  of  song  I  hoped  she  had  imbibed  also  a 
strain  of  it  which  she  lacked,  as  I  noticed  in  the  beginning. 
I  was  at  my  wits'  ends  to  find  the  spring,  but  she  resisted 
all  my  efforts.  I  knew  she  was  excessively  shy  but  did 
not  think  that  would  prevent  her  in  showing  in  some  way 
her  appreciation  of  the  instruction  and  her  idea  of  what 
she  had  formed  of  all  this  teaching,  explanation  and  ex- 
ample in  these  years. 

Her  songs  were  accurately  sung  in  any  language  with 
which  she  was  familiar.  Her  singing  was  highly  compli- 
mented upon,  yet  there  was  something  I  had  not  yet  found. 
I  sang  many  hours  for  her  the  old  and  the  new  songs  and 
she  accompanied  with  musicianly  art,  but  no  expression 
came  to  me  from  her.  I  got  an  idea  from  her  mother 
which  songs  she  liked  best  and  I  soon  found  she  had 
supplied  herself  with  those  she  did  like  and  I  had  sung  for 
her  in  practice.  In  December,  1909,  I  at  last  reaped  my 
reward.  She,  with  other  pupils,  remembered  me,  and  be- 
fore bringing  her  gift  she  felt  as  though  she  had  not 
given  me  enough,  and  at  last  she  said,  "I  must  do  some- 
thing more,"  and  entered  her  room,  and  closed  the  door 
for  a  half  hour.  She  had  given  me  in  verse  what  she 
could  not  say  to  me.  Her  excessive  shyness  prevented  her, 
much  as  she  appreciated  my  singing  and  teaching  and  the 
interpretation  of  song  and  its  different  modes  of  expression, 
whether  it  be  sacred,  descriptive,  florid  or  romantic.  She 
portrayed  these  lines  with  a  poet's  art — never  did  Tennyson 
write  his  first  efforts  with  more  beautiful  description  than 
this  young  poetess  has  written  in  these  beautiful  lines 
which  I  cannot  read  without  emotion.  She  gave  me  her 
affectionate  expression  in  this  poem  which  I  appreciate 
more  highly  than  rubies,  and  with  pride  I  place  her  offering 
in  this  book  of  memoirs  for  all  to  read  and  for  all  young 
persons  who  are  students  to  feel  that  a  conscientious  teacher 
deserves  their  love  and  appreciation  in  return  for  their 
efforts  to  develop  the  highest  perfection  in  the  pupil.  They 
cannot  all  be  poets  but  they  can  at  least  honor  the  master 
by  showing  appreciation. 

In  these  four  years  of  study  she  had  outdistanced  all 
of  those  who  began  with  her  in  1908.  She  plays  the 
organ  each  Sabbath  at  the  English  Lutheran  Church.  She 
has  several  piano  pupils  and  once  a  week  practices  two 
hours  in  a  private  ensemble  club,  violins,  cello  and  piano; 
has  completed  the  course  of  harmony  of  three  months,  has 
studied  composition,  writes  songs  and  the  words  for  them. 
She  has  written  a  number  of  instrumental  pieces  for  both 

260 


Ruth  A.  Hitchcock 
Anita  Osborn 


Christine  Hennansen 
lima  Jones 

PUPILS,    1910-1911 


Grace  Cooke 
Leo  Dowling 


hands,  and  two  numbers  for  the  left  hand.  I  have  been 
honored  with  the  gift  of  two  of  her  songs,  one  sacred  and 
the  other  a  lullaby.  She  began  in  earnest  to  compose 
some  time  ago  and  these  pieces  have  been  the  result.  She 
practices  the  piano  about  four  hours  daily.  Her  com- 
positions are  very  meritorious.  It  is  my  opinion  if 
she  keeps  up  her  work  that  it  will  not  be  long  be- 
fore the  public  of  California  will  have  another  musician 
to  add  to  the  already  great  number  gone  before  her. 
There  is  but  one  regret  in  the  make-up  of  this  young 
aspirant.  It  is  her  self-consciousness  or  excessive  shyness, 
whether  physical  or  mental,  in  relation  to  the  opinion  of 
others.  She  is  so  thoroughly  conscientious  she  will  not  do 
anything  unless  it  is  just  right.  If  she  can  overcome  this 
malady  in  her  contact  with  people  there  is  nothing  left 
in  her  pathway  to  prevent  her  successful  career.  It  has 
been  difficult  for  me  to  bear  with  patience  this  affliction,  for 
I  see  too  well  her  future.  Shyness  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons. Many  of  our  great  men  like  Charles  Matthews, 
Garrick,  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Byron,  were  afflicted  with  it  and 
shunned  all  notoriety.  She  has  fought  successfully  her 
other  battles,  let  us  hope  she  will  conquer  this  obstacle  also. 
I,  her  instructor,  will  be  the  first  to  rejoice  in  her  victory  and 
her  Lady  Margaret  will  compel  her  to  write  another  song. 
But  this  time  it  will  be  a  song  of  rejoicing  and  victory. 


261 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-EIGHT 


A   LIST   OF   MY    PUPILS 


Ach,  Annie,  1903,  '04 High  soprano 

Ackerly,  Mrs.,  1901,  '02,  '03 Mezzo-soprano 

Adler,  Celia,  1890 Soprano 

Adler,  Dora,  1890 Soprano 

Adler,  Elsie,  1900 Soprano 

Aiken,  Mrs.,  18% Soprano 

Aitken,  Mabel,  1898 Soprano 

Aitken,  Mr.,  1897 High  tenor 

Allison,  George,  1906,  '07,  '08 Baritone,  bass 

Alwyn,  Robert,  1897,  '98 Baritone,  tenor 

Alwyn,  Stella,  1898 Soprano,  low 

Ames,  Lucille,  1910,  '11 Deep  contralto 

Andrews,  Mattie,  1892,  '93 Alto 

Andrews,  Vina,  1892,  '93 Soprano 

Angus,  Alice,  1899,  1900,  '02,  '03 Soprano 

Angus,  Mrs.  Helen,  1899,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Angus,  Wm.,  1899,  1900,  '01 Tenor,  primo 

Arena,  Angelina,  1901,  '02,  '10 Mezzo-soprano 

Arena,  Irvin,  1912 Boy  soprano 

Arbergast,  Mr.  A.,  1900,  '01 Tenor 

Ashley,  Chas.  H.,  1911,  '12 Lyric  tenor 

Atchison,  Mrs.  L.  F.,  1906 Soprano 

Atherton,  Ethel,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Atkins,  Mr.,  1896 Baritone 

Atkins,  Mrs.,  1896 Soprano 

Austin,  Grace  B.,  1887 Soprano 

Austin,  Mrs.  L.  M.,  1895 Soprano 

Avan,  Clara,  1898,  '99,  '00,  '01,  '02,  '03 Soprano 

Avan,  Hattie,  1902,  '03 Contralto 

Avis,  Ethel,  1908 Contralto 

Bacon,  Helen,  1898 Soprano 

Baer,  Mr.,  1900 Tenor 

Baker,  Miss  Sarah,  1898 Soprano 

Ball,  Louie,   1892 Mezzo-soprano 

Ballentyne,  Will.  1896 Bass,  baritone 

Banta,  Clae,  1906,  '07 High  Tenor 

Barnes,  Pearl,  1909,  '10 Contralto 

Bartlett,  Mrs.,  1891 Contralto 

Bauske,  Hazel,  1910,  '11,  '12 High  soprano 

Baylis,  Etta,  1905,  '06 Soprano 

Beam,  Edith,  1879,  '80,  '82,  '84,  '85,  '87 ...  .Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Beam,  Mary,  1879,  '82,  '85 Soprano 

BeDell,  Miss,  1897,  '98 Soprano 

Bercham,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Beretta,  Chelice,  1890,  '91 Low  -voice 

262 


Beretta,  Mrs.  I.  A.,  1894,  '95 Mezzo-soprano.    Passed  out  of  life 

Bernard,  Dan,  1890 Baritone 

Bernard,  Grace,  1890,  '91,  '95 Soprano 

Bernard,  Fred,  1890,  '91 Baritone 

Bernard,  L.  A.,  1895 Tenor 

Bettis,  Mrs.,  1894,  '95,  '96,  '97 Soprano 

Bichtel,  Helen,  1901 Soprano 

Bills,  Miss,  1897 Light  soprano 

Bishop,  Biddle,  1879,  '80 Bass,  baritone 

Bisquer,  Marceline,  1912 Soprano 

Blake,  Edith,   1886 Soprano 

Blake,  Ella,  1887 Contralto 

Blake,  Mrs.  W.  E.,  1894,  '95,  '99,  '00,  '01,  '02 .High  soprano. 

Accompanist  for  the  studio 

Blanc,  Lottie,  1884 Alto 

Bloss,  Kittie,   1884 Soprano 

Boise,  Miss  E.,  1879,  '85 Soprano 

Bonham.  Mrs.,  1900 Dramatic  soprano 

Bolzer,  Miss,  1896,  '97 Soprano 

Booth,  Miss  A.  G.,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano 

Booth,   Maud,    1908 Contralto 

Booth,  Sue,  1909 Contralto 

Boutton,  Miss  Cloy,  1899,  '90,  '91 Dramatic  Soprano 

Bowers,  Genevieve,  1907,  '08 Contralto 

Bowers,  Cornelia,  1907,  '08,  '09 Deep  contralto 

Bowen,  Mary,  1884 Soprano 

Bowles,  Bessie,  1908 Soprano 

Bowles,  Kitty,  1898 Light  soprano 

Bowley,  Kittie,  1884 Dramatic  soprano 

Bradley,  Dolores,  1908,  '09,  '10 Contralto 

Brainard,  Birdie,  1879,  '83,  '86,  '87 Alto  (child) 

Brainard,  Carrie,  1879,  '82,  '83,  '86,  '87 Soprano  (child) 

Brandeline,  Mrs.,  1909 Mezzo-soprano 

Braun,  Mr.,  1898 Tenor-baritone 

Brennan,  Misses,  1884 Soprano  and  contralto  (sisters) 

Brown,   Elizabeth,    1879 Soprano 

Brown,  Evelyn,  1890,  '91,  '92 Soprano 

Brown,  Miss,  1888,  '89 Mezzo-soprano 

Brown,  Miss  L.,  1880,  '81 Soprano 

Brown,  Marv.  1884 Mezzo-soprano 

Bruce,  Florence,  1903,  '04,  '05 Lyric  soprano 

Bruce,  Mrs.  S.  j.,  1903,  '04,  '05 Light  soprano 

Bruce,  Ruth,  1904.  '05 Contralto 

Bruce,  Winona.  1904,  '05,  '06 Mezzo-soprano 

Bruenn,  Mrs.,  1892,  '93 Mezzo  voice 

Brunning,  Olive,  1899,  1900 Mezzo  voice 

Brunning,  Helen,  1899,  1900 Soprano 

Brydges,  Ada  Miss,  1912 Contralto-mezzo 

Bryant,  Miss,  1897.  '98,  '99,  1900 High  soprano 

Bufford,  Anna,  1888 Soprano 

Bufford,  Tidy,  1888 Contralto 

Bullington,  Marie,  1912 Soprano 

Burch,  Madeline,   1912 Soprano 

Burch,   Mrs.,    1903 Contralto 

Burns,  Belle,  1892,  '93,  '96 Contralto 

Burns,  Herbert,  1906 Second  tenor 

Burrell,  Mrs.,  1895 Second  alto 

Burton,  Lester,  1905,  '06,  '07 Bass,  baritone.     (Dead) 

263 


Caldwell,  Mrs.  O.  B.,  1900,  '01 Contralto 

Calvin,  Alice,  1901,  '02,  '03,  '04,  '05 Contralto 

Also  accompanist  for  the  studio 

Campbell.  Mrs.  Carrie,  1884 Soprano 

Campbell.  Mrs.  J.  A.,  1881 Mezzo-soprano 

Cantua,  Theresa,  1898,  '99,  1900 Mezzo-soprano 

Cantrell,  Kate,  1884 Soprano 

Carpenter,  Miss,  1897 Soprano 

Carollis,  Miss,  1888 Mezzo-soprano 

Carovyn,  Mr.,  1897 Tenor  voice 

Carrigan.  Mrs.,  1896 Mezzo-soprano 

Carrick.  Mrs..  1890,  '91,  '92,  '93 Mezzo-soprano 

Case,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  1894,  '96,  '97,  '98,  '99,  '00,  '01 Mezzo-soprano 

Also  accompanist  for  studio 

Cauzza,  Genievieve,  1912 Mezzo-soprano 

Caswell,  Mabel,  1890,  '91,  '92,  '93 Soprano 

Champion,  Rose,  1897,  '98,  '99 High  soprano.     (Dead) 

Chapman,  Sylvia,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Chase,  Linnie,  1906 Soprano.     Also  accompanist 

Cheschron,  Lillian,  1883 Soprano 

Chase,  Mellie,  1890 Mezzo-soprano 

Christofferson,  Jennie,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Church,  Mrs.  Lin,  1897 Mezzo-soprano 

Churchill,  Byron,  1901,  '02 Tenor 

Cianciaruolo.  Lucia,  1905,  '06,  '07,  '08,  '09,  '10,  '11,  '12. .  .High  soprano 

Ciseneros,  Henry,  1907 Tenor,  baritone 

Claire,  Miss,  1891 Soprano 

Clifford,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Coghill,  Mamie.  1879,  1880 Soprano 

Cole.  Miss.   1888 Soprano 

Condrin,  Mamie.  1884,  '85 Soprano 

Commins.  Anna,  1889,  '97,  '98,  '01,  '02,  '03 Soprano 

Collins,  Mrs.  Minnie,  1888 Soprano 

Conklin,  Louisa,   1895 Soprano 

Connors,  Mrs.  H.,  1888 Soprano 

Conroy,  Anna,  1897,  '98,  99 Soprano 

Cooke,  Grace,  1911,  '12 High  soprano 

Cooley,  Allen,  1892 Tenor 

Coombs,  Miss.  1904,  '05 Soprano 

Cordes,  H.  Mrs.,  1911,  '12 Mezzo-soprano 

Courtain,  Gladys.  1903,  '04 Soprano 

Coyne,  Miss  N.,  1901 Soprano 

Craig,  Carrie,  1888 Soprano 

Cramer.  Etta,  1908,  '09 Soprano 

Crandall,  Harry,  1900,  '01,  '02,  '10 High  tenor 

Crew,  Josie,  1897,  '98 Contralto.   Also  accompanist  for  studio 

Crew,  Louisa  Carolyn.  1897,  '98,  '99,  '00 Lyric  soprano 

Cropley,  F.  M.,  1898. Soprano 

Grossman,  Nellie,  1888 Contralto 

Cullen,  Lila.  1904.  '05 Soprano 

Culver.  Susie,  1893,  '94,  '95 Soprano 

Cummings,  Nettie.  1898 Soprano 

Cunningham,  Miss,  1889 Soprano 

Cunningham.  Mrs.  Louisa  Crossett,  1912 Dramatic  soprano 

Gushing,  Lillian.  1898,  '99,  '01,  '02 Contralto 

Dam,  Miss,  1889 Contralto 

Danielwitz.  Carrie,  1900.  '01 Soprano 

Danielwitz,  Rose,  1900,  '03 Mezzo-soprano 

264 


Danish,  Mrs.,  1897 Mezzo-soprano 

Davies,  Alice,  1910 Mezzo-soprano 

Dean,  Miss,  1890 Soprano 

Dean,  Mrs.  J.  E.,  1910,  "11 Mezzo-soprano 

Deaner,  Annette,  1898,  '99 Soprano 

DeBonis,  Elvera,  1908,  '09 Mezzo-soprano 

Deetken,  Marjorie,  1906,  '07,  '08,  '09,  '10,  '11,  '12 Soprano 

Delepaine,  Mrs.,  1887 Soprano 

Derby,  Charles,  1901,  '02,  '03,  '04.  '09 Tenor 

Derby,  George,  1901,  '02,  '03,  '04,  '05 Bass 

Derby,  Hattie,  1896,  '97,  '98,  '99,  '00,  '01 Soprano 

Derby,  Sam,  1896 Baritone 

Derrick,  Nellie,  1882,  '84,  '85 Soprano 

DeTurbeville,  Amy,  1890,  '91,  '92,  '93 Soprano 

Dickey,  Mrs.  Clarence,  1888 Lyric  soprano 

Dickey,  Lorena,  1905 Soprano 

Diggins,  Miss,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Doan,  Rebecca,  1880 Soprano 

Dobbins,  Miss  Grace,  1894,  '95,  '9j6,  '97,  '98,  '99 Contralto 

Dohrmann,  Dolores,  1903,  '04,  '05 Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Dorsett,  Gertrude,  1911,  '12 Soprano 

Dorr,  Ruby,  1884 Soprano 

Dosier.  Miss,  1884 Soprano 

Doubleday,  Mr.,  1890,  '91 Baritone 

Dowdel,  Addie,  1896,  '97,  '98,  '99,  '00 Light  soprano  accompanist 

Dowdel,  Everett,  1895,  '96,  '97,  '01 Tenor 

Dowling,  Gertrude,  1906,  '07,  '08,  '10,  '11,  '12 Mezzo-soprano 

Dowling,  Leo,  1908 Baritone,  bass 

Downing,  Lennie,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '82 Soprano 

Drais,  Jessie,  1897,  '98,  '99 Contralto 

Drake,  Mabel,  1904,  '05 Contralto 

Draper,  Mrs.,  1888 Mezzo-soprano 

Dugan,  Susie,  1880 Soprano 

Dumont,  Ricardo,  1909,  '10 Tenor,  baritone 

Durbrow,  Kate,  1884 Soprano 

Dunn,  Elizabeth,  1879,  '80,  '81 Mezzo-soprano 

Dunn,  Mary,  1881 Soprano 

Dunn,  Rebecca,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '85 Alto 

Dutton,  Carrie,  1879,  '82,  '83,  '85,  '86,  '87,  '90 Lyric  soprano 

Dwight,  Mr.,  1888 Bass 

Dyer,  Ella,  1890,  '91,  1900 Contralto.  (Died,  1900) 

Edwards,  Jessie,  1881 Mezzo-contralto 

Edwards,  Morton,  1880 Tenor.     (Dead) 

Edwards,  Mrs.  Morton,  1886 Mezzo-soprano 

Edwards,  Daisy.  Miss,  1884 Soprano 

Effie,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Ellis,  Miss  Maud,  1901 Soprano 

Ellis,  Will,  1904 Baritone 

Embly,    Miss,    1897 Mezzo-soprano 

Englehart,  Ethel,  1911 Soprano 

Epperly,  Mrs.,  1888 Contralto 

Eubank,  Susie,  1896,  '97,  '98 Soprano 

Ewing,  Nellie,  1884 Soprano 

Evans,  Mary,  1886 Soprano.  (Deceased) 

Farnum,  Mrs.  C.  A.,  1884 Soprano 

Faull,  Mrs.  Hattie,  1882,  '83,  '85,  '86,  '87 Soprano 

Faull,  John,  1879,  '82,  '85,  '86 Bass,  baritone 

Faull,  Rose,  1879,  '82,  '83,  '86 Soprano 

265 


Faull,  Sophia,  1879,  '82,  '83,  '86 Alto.     (Deceased) 

Faull,  Will,  1894 Bass 

Finch,  Miss  Vivian,  1884,  '94,  '96 Soprano 

Finney,  Miss  M.,  1898 Soprano 

Finnigan,  Annie,  1886 Soprano 

Fisk,  Mrs.,  1882,  '83,  '84,  '85 Soprano 

Fleming,  Mrs.,  1888,  '89 Soprano 

Flick,  George,  1900 Bass 

Flotie,  Miss,  1891 Mezzo-soprano 

Fogarty,  Miss,  1896 Soprano 

Folger,  Mrs.,  1900 Soprano.     (Deceased) 

Foote,  Miss,  1901 Soprano 

Ford,  Ella,  1894 Soprano 

Foss,  Mrs.,  1908 Alto 

Foster,  Annie,  1884 Soprano 

Foster,  Lizzie,  1879,  '82,  '84,  '85 Soprano 

Foster,  Mrs.,  1891 Soprano 

Fountain,  Beryle,  1909 Contralto 

Fox,  Mr.,  1888 Second  tenor 

Frank,  Cora,  1901 Soprano 

Frankenstein,  Sidney,  1889,  '90 Tenor 

Frear,  Bessie,  1901 Mezzo-soprano 

French,  Miss,  1895 Soprano 

Friend,  Mrs.,  1890 Soprano 

Frink,  Abbie,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '84 Soprano 

Frink,  George,  1881 Baritone 

Froeb,  Emma,  1909 Contralto 

Frost,  Miss,  1901 Soprano 

Frost,  Horatio,  1879,  '82,  '83,  '85,  '86 Tenor 

Frost,  Mrs.  Mary,  1885 Low  soprano 

Fryer,  John,   1896,   '97 Tenor 

Fryer,  Regg.,  1896 Baritone 

Fusch,   Laura,   1899 Contralto 

Gale,   Mollie,    1904 Soprano 

Garcia,  Louisa,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Gardiner,  Paloma,  1908,  '09,  '10 Contralto 

Geischen,  Emma,  1893,  '94,  '95 Mezzo-soprano 

Georges,  Bert,  1896 Bass 

Gerard,  Capt,  1900 < Baritone 

Gerrior,  Maud,  1908,  '09 Contralto 

Gerrior,  Rev.,  1908 Baritone,  tenor 

Gibbs,  Miss,  1880,  '81 Soprano 

Gibbs,  Miss  E.  J.,  1907 Contralto 

Giffin,  Miss,  1897 Soprano 

Gilchrist,  Jennie,  1898,  '99 Contralto 

Gladding,  Annette,  1904 Contralto 

Gladding,  Susie,  1903,  '04 Meszo-soprano 

Glass,  Mrs.  Louis,  1887,  '89 Soprano.     (Deceased) 

Glaze,  Mrs.,  1891,  '92 Contralto 

Goddard,  Mrs.,  1888 Contralto 

Gohst,  Miss,  1897 Soprano 

Goughenheim,  Miss,  1891 Soprano 

Goodfellow,  W.  S.,  1904,  '05 Primo  tenor 

Gossip,  Claire,  1898 Soprano 

Granger,  Adale,  1907 Soprano 

Granger,  Blanche,  1907 Contralto 

Graves,  Augusta,  1879,  '82,  '84,  '85,  '86,  '87. .  ..Contralto.    (Deceased) 
Graves,  Bessie,  1879,  '82,  '84,  '85,  '86 Mezzo  voice.    Accompanist 

266 


Graham,  Mr.,  1905 Baritone 

Grant,  E.,  1904 Contralto 

Gray,  Maud,  1901,  '07 Soprano 

Greenman,  Mrs.,  1893 Soprano 

Greer,  Yvonne,  191 1,  '12 Soprano 

Griffith,  Ella,  1884 Contralto 

Griswold,  Geneva,  1908,  '09,  '10,  '11 Soprano 

Groenberg,  Margot,  1897,  1900 Soprano 

Grossett,  Louisa,  1899,  '00 Contralto 

Guilbault,  Agnes,  1898 Lyric  soprano 

Gunn,  Anna,  1909,  '10 Contralto 

Gunn,  Eva,  1909,  '10 Soprano 

Hackett,  Miss,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano 

Haggard,  A.,  1880 Tenor 

Haggard,  A.,  1881 Soprano 

Haines,  Mr.,  1904,  '05 Tenor 

Haley,  May,  1898 Soprano 

Hall,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Halm,  Mrs.,  1888 Contralto 

Hanson,  Jennie,  1884 Soprano 

Harlow,  Frankie,  1910,  '11,  '12 Contralto 

Harney,  Miss,  1887 Soprano 

Harper,  Janet,  1881,  '82,  '83,  '84 Soprano 

Harris,  Josie,  1892 Soprano 

Harrison,  Mr.,  1906,  '07 Tenor,  baritone 

Harrold,  Alice,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '84 Contralto 

Harrold,  Elizabeth,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '84,  '85,  '90,  '91 Contralto 

Harrold,  Eva,  1880 Soprano 

Harrold,  Mary,  1879,  '80,  '81,  '84,  '90,  '91 Soprano 

Harry,  Dolly,  1887 Soprano 

Hart,  Mrs  ,  1896,  97 Soprano 

Harvey,  Flora,  1895,  '96,  '99 Contralto,  also  accompanist 

Harvey,  Richard,  1895 Baritone 

Hastie,  M.  A.,  1884 Soprano 

Hawes,  Alice,  1884 Contralto 

Herman,  Mrs.,  1902 Soprano 

Hermansen,  Christine,  1910,  '11 Soprano 

Hewes,  Gertrude,  1879,  '81,  '84 Contralto 

Hewes,  Miss,  1888 Soprano 

Hewes,  Mrs.,  1891 Soprano 

Hewes,  Sarah,  1894,  '95,  '96 Soprano 

Hewes,  Mr.  W.,  1887,  1901 Tenor 

Higgins,  E.  B.,  1887 Tenor.    (Deceased) 

Higgins,  Mrs.,  1887 Soprano 

Hill,  Miss,  1896,  '97 Soprano 

Hino,  Walter,  1906 Baritone 

Hitchcock,  Ruth,  1909,  '10 Contralto 

Hodges,  Laura,  1892 Soprano 

Hogan,  Eva,  1903 Mezzo-soprano 

Holland,  Julia,  1880 Soprano 

Holmes,  Mr.  1905 Bass 

Holt,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Horton,  Georgia,  1898,  '99 Contralto 

Hosmer,  Mr.,  1884 High  tenor 

Hough,  Ernest,  1892 Tenor 

Huston,  O.  J.,  1898,  '99 Tenor 

Howard,  Kate,  1879,  '80.  '81 Contralto 

Howard,  Mrs.  C.  W.,  1894 Soprano 

267 


Hoyte,  Mr..  1896 Tenor 

Hubbard,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Hudspeth,  Mr.,  1903,  '04 Baritone,  bass 

Hugg,  Mrs.  J.,  1888 Soprano 

Huff  Schneider,  Mrs.,  1903,  '04 Mezzo-soprano 

Huggins,  Flora,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Huggins,  Hattie,  1890,  '91 Contralto 

Hughes,  Mrs.,  1901,  '02,  '03 Contralto 

Hunt,  Elsie  May,  1897,  '98,  '99,  '00,  '01 Dramatic  soprano 

Hunter,  Alena,  1900,  '01,  '02,  '03,  '04 Soprano 

Hunter,  Bertha,  1900,  '01 Contralto 

Hunter,  William,  1892 Tenor 

Hurd,  Mrs.,  1903 Soprano 

Hussey,  Ida,  1894,  '95,  '96 Mezzo-contralto 

Hussey,  Minnie,  1896,  '97 Soprano 

Hyde,  Marie,  1882,  '83,  '84 Contralto,  also  accompanist  for  studio 

Hyde,  E.  Miss,  1898,  '99,  '00 Soprano 

Hymes,  Mrs.  1903 Soprano 

Huston,  Mrs.,  1903 Contralto 

Ireland,  Mrs.,  1900 Soprano 

Israel,   Dora,   1889 Contralto 

Jackson,  George,  1908,  '09,  '10,  '11,  '12- Tenor 

Jackson,  Mrs.,  1904 Contralto 

Jacobs,  Gertrude,  1905 Contralto 

Jacobs,  Lena,  1905 Soprano 

Jacobs,  Miss  P.,  1901 High  soprano 

Jeffries,  Jack,  1900,  '01 Baritone 

Jewell,   Mr.,   1888 Baritone,   tenor 

Johnston,  Rita,   1908 Contralto 

Jolly,  May  Stewart,  1886,  '87,  '89 High  soprano 

Jones,  Ethel,  1898,  '99,  '00 High  soprano,  also  accompanist 

Jones,   Lillian,    1884 Soprano 

Jones,  lima,  1908,  '09,  '10 Soprano 

Jones,  J.  W.,  1887 Tenor 

Jones,  Mary,   1884 Alto 

Jones,  Miss,  1879 Soprano 

Jones,  Mrs.,  1894,  '95,  '97 Contralto 

Joran,  Pauline.  1884,  '85 Contralto 

Jordan,   M.   F.,   1895 Soprano 

Jory,  Blanche,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Jory,  Ethel,   1890,  '91 Contralto 

Jory,  Lillian,  1886,  '87 Soprano 

Katzenbach,  Charles,  1908,  '09 Tenor 

Kean,   Mrs.,   1899 Soprano 

Keith,  Wm.   H.,   1881 Baritone-tenor 

Kelly,  Edith,  Miss,  1885 Soprano 

Kelly,  Miss  A.,  1897 Soprano 

Kelly,  Sarah,  1879 Soprano 

Kelly,  Louisa  Foltz Contralto,  also  accompanist 

Kerby,  Mrs.  A.,  1903 Soprano 

Kennedy,  Walter,  1910 Bass,  baritone 

Kern,  J.,  1884,  '85 Baritone 

Kerosier,  Miss,  1889 Soprano 

Kiel,  Stella,  1907 Soprano 

Kimball,  Lorena,  1903,  '04,  '05 Soprano.   (Deceased) 

Kitridge,  Mary,   1879,   '80 Soprano 

Knight,  Christmas,  1903,  '04 Soprano 

Knight.  Emma,  1890,  '92 Soprano 

268 


Mrs.  Emma  A.  Munch  Lucia  Cianciaruolo  Marjorie  Deetkin 

Irma  Starkey  Ruth  Riley  Mrs.  Edna  Riley 

Alice  M.  Sanford  Lucille  E.  Ames 

PUPILS,    1910-1911 


Knight,  Eva,  1890,  '91,  '92 Mezzo-soprano 

Koch,  Ada,  1890,  '91,  '92 Soprano 

Kroh,  Blanche,  1908 Soprano 

Kroh,  Mary,  1908 Contralto 

Krueckle,  Anna,  1904,  '05,  06,  '07 Contralto,  also  accompanist 

Kullman.  Celia.  1879.  '80.  '81.  '82.  '84.  '85.  '86.  '89.  '90 Sobrann 

Kullman,  Hattie,   1885 Mezzo-soprano 

Ladd,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Laher,  Frida,  1903,  '05 Soprano 

Lake,  Hazel,  1901  Soprano 

Lamping,  Hazel,  1905,  '06 Soprano 

Lancaster,  Lillian,  1892 Soprano 

Lancaster,  Lottie,  1892 Soprano 

Lancaster,  Susie,  1892 Mezzo-soprano 

Lane.  Clara,  1908,  '09 Soprano 

Lang,  Eliza,  1879,  '80 Soprano 

Lanktree,  Bessie,  1900,  '01,  '12 Contralto 

Lanktree,  Susie,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Larue,  Grace,  1895,  '96 Contralto 

Larue,  Laura,  1903 Mezzo-soprano 

Law,  Marguerite.  1898 Contralto 

Lawlor,  Mrs.,  1893 Soprano 

Layes,  Frankie  R.,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Lazinsky,   Josie,    1889 Contralto 

Leach,  Mrs.  Wm.,  1895,  '96,  '97 Soprano 

Leach,  Wm.,  1895.  '96,  '97 Tenor 

Learn,   Chas.,    1897 Bass 

Leary,  Dan,  1903 Baritone 

Leavenworth,  Mr.,  1890 Tenor 

Lee,  Frank.  1897,  '98,  1900,  '01,  '02,  '04,  '05,  '06 Bass  Baritone 

Lee,  Henry  T.,  1906,  '07,  '08,  '09,  '10 Tenor 

Leist,  Bertha,  1890,  '91 Contralto 

Lenoir,  Miss,  1892,  '93 Soprano 

Lessig,  Mrs.  C.  1896,  '98,  '99 Contralto 

Levy,  Mrs.,  1890 Contralto 

Lewis,  Mr.,  1908 Tenor 

Lewis,  Mrs.  Nellie,  1895,  '96 Soprano 

Libby,  Alice,  1901,  '08 Soprano 

Livingston,  Malsie,   1900,  '01 Soprano 

Lloyd,  Mrs.  Chas.,  1899  Soprano 

Longmore,  Miss,  1879 Soprano 

Lorsbach,  Mrs..  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Louderback,  Carol,  1904,  '05,  '06,  '07,  '08 Soprano 

Louderback,  Tean,  1904,  '05,  '06,  '07,  '08 Soprano 

I  ouderback,  Mrs.  Caroline,  1904,  '05,  '06,  '07,  '08,  '11,  '12. . .  .Soprano 

Lount,  Miss,  1885 Soprano 

Love,  Minnie,  1884 Soprano 

Lovick,  Marv.  1906,  '07,  '08,  '09 Contralto 

Lynch,  Mrs.  G.,  1892 Soprano 

Lynd,  Mr.,  1899 Tenor 

Lynns,  Miss,  1906 Soprano 

Lysale,  Miss,  1902 Contralto 

McCarty,  Miss,  1901 Soprano 

McCloskey,  Desaix,  1905,  '06,  '07 Baritone 

McCloskey,  Florence,  1904,  '05,  '06 Soprano 

McClure,  Mr.,  1904 Tenor 

McConkey,  C.  M.,  1888 Tenor 

McCullough,  Jennie,  1896,  '97,  '06 Contralto 

269 


McCullough,  Mrs.  B.  T Contralto 

McCutcheon,  Mattie,  1910 Soprano 

McDonald,  Miss,  1895,  '96 Soprano 

McDonough,  Anna,  1906 Soprano 

McDonough,  Ella,  1901 Contralto 

McDonough,  Helen,  1905,  '06 Soprano 

McFarlane,  Ivan,  1906 Tenor 

McFarlane,  Mabel,  1906 Soprano 

McGovern,  Maggie,  1879 Soprano 

Mclntosh,  Miss  I.,  1898 Soprano 

McMahan,  Bernard,  1906,  '07,  '08 Baritone 

McMahon,  Ella,   1902,  '03 Contralto 

McMahon,  Miss,    1902,    '03 Soprano 

McLogan,  Lizzie  Miss,  1884 Soprano 

McPhale,  Mrs.,  1894,  '95 Contralto 

Mackey,  Kate,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano 

Macomber,  Mrs.,  1903 Soprano 

Magruder,  Tony,  1879,  '80 Mezzo-soprano 

Maguire,  Alice,  1882,  '83,  '84 Soprano 

Maitland,  Velma.  1906 Soprano.     (Deceased) 

Manning,  Miss  Davitte,  1897,  '98 Soprano 

Mausel,  Miss,  1901 Soprano 

Marvin,  Josie,  1897,  '98,  '99,  '00 Mezzo-soprano 

Mauerheim,  Aggie,  1890,  '91,  '92 Soprano 

Mauerheim,  Minnie,  1890,  '91,  '92 Contralto 

Maul,  Matilda  J.,  1905,  '06,  '07 Mezzo-soprano,  also  accompanist 

Mayfield,  Miss,  1888 Mezzo-soprano 

Mead,  Miss  C,  1886 Soprano 

Melvin,  Will,  1894,  '95.  '96,  '97 Bass 

Melquiond,  Clairess,  1905.  '06 Soprano 

Melquiond,  Lester,  1906.  '07 Baritone 

Melquiond,  Mrs.  Rilly,  1905,  '06 Mezzo-soprano 

Merrill,  Frank,  1898,  1903,  '04 Bass 

Merrill,  George,  1898.  '99,  '00 Baritone 

Merry  sisters  (2),  1897 Soprano  (children) 

Merzbach,  Mrs.,  1890.  1901 Soprano 

Mertzfelter,  Mrs..  1890 Soprano 

Mesro,  Mattie,  1895 Soprano 

Michler,  Mrs.,  1896 Soprano 

Michlosen,  Mrs.,  1908 Soprano 

Milan,   Laura,    1894 Soprano 

Milan,  Mrs.,  1894 Mezzo-soprano 

Millar,  Grace.  1900 Soprano 

Millar,  Florence,  1903,  '04 Mezzo-soprano 

Millar,  Anna,  1896.  '97 Contralto 

Millar,  Bertha,  1903 Soprano 

Millar.  Evelyn,   1903 Contralto 

Millar,  Martha,  1898 Contralto 

Millar,  Rachael,  1898,  1902 Soprano 

Minor,  Mabel,   1907 Soprano 

Monett,  Emma,  1898.  '99,  '00 Mezzo-soprano 

Moore,  A.  A.  jr.,  1896 Baritone-tenor 

Moore,  Miss  Carmen,  1896 Soprano 

Moore,  Bina,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Morris,  Mrs.  H.  C,  1895 Soprano 

Moses,  Clara,  1900 Soprano 

Moss.  Miss.  1887,  '89,  '90 Soprano 

Muhler,  Mr.,   1898 Tenor 

270 


Mulgrew,   Margaret,    1912 Soprano 

Mullen,  Miss,  1879,  '80,  '82,  '85 Soprano 

Muller,  Mrs.,  1908,  '09 Contralto 

Munch,  Mrs.  Emma,  1906,  '07,  '08,  '10 Soprano 

Munday,  Evelyn,  1903 Soprano 

Munson,  Clarence,  1898,  '99,  1900,  '01 Baritone 

Murphy,  Edith,  1903 Contralto 

Myers,  Cecile,  1905,  '06,  '07,  '08 Mezzo-soprano 

Nagle,  Ethel,  1898,  '99,  '00,  '06,  '07,  '10,  '11 

Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Near,  Dr.  J.  LeRoy,  1908 Bass 

Neblicker,  Frank,  1901 Baritone-tenor 

Newell,  Bessie,  1892,  '93,  '94 Soprano 

Noble,  Miss,  1880 Soprano 

Noonan,  Elsie,  1898,  '99,  '00 Soprano 

Norcross,  Mr.,    1884 Baritone 

Nordin,  Mrs.  Alice,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Norman,  Lillian,  1807,  '08 Soprano 

Norton,  Daisy,  1895,  '96 Soprano 

Oaks,  Marjorie,  1894,  '95,  '96,  1901 Contralto,  also  accompanist 

O'Brien,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  1907 Soprano  and  Tenor 

O'Brien,    Mrs.    Alice,    1891 Soprano 

Olds,  Brilliant,  1906 Soprano 

Olney,  Mrs.  Carrol,  1897 Contralto 

O'Neal,    Fannie,    1900 Soprano 

Osborn,  Anita,  1910 Soprano 

Osborn,   Dade,    1910 Bass 

Oxley,  Mr.,  1908 Tenor 

Page,  Miss,  1898,  '99 Mezzo-soprano 

Palloci,  Miss,  1902 Soprano 

Palmer,  R.  C.,  1908 Tenor -baritone 

Partington,  Richard,  1896,  '97 Tenor 

Payne,  John,  1907 Bass 

Payne,  Kate,  1899,  1900,  '01,  '07 Contralto.    (Deceased) 

Peart,  Lloyd,  1879.  '82,  '85 Baritone 

Peck,  Kate,  1880,  '82 Alto 

Peltris,  Alma.   1902 Contralto 

Perata,  Annie,  1898,  '99,  1900 Soprano 

Perata,  Jack,  1906,  '07 Tenor-baritone 

Percival,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Perkins,    C,    1888 Tenor 

Persbaker,  Ruby,   1899 Contralto 

Peterson,  George,  1901,  '02 Bass 

Peterson,  Minnie,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Peterson.  Pauline,  1900,  '01 Soprano.    (Deceased) 

Petrie,  Elite,  1911,  '12 Soprano 

Peters,  R.  A.,  1910 Baritone 

Pettie,    Mr.,    1898 Tenor 

Pettie,  Mrs.,  1898,  '99 Soprano 

Pfeifer,  Miss,    1894,   '95 Soprano 

Phillips.  Ethel.  1909,  '10 Soprano 

Phillips,  Miss,  1882,  '85 Soprano 

Phillips.  Myrtle,  1879 Soprano 

Phelps,  Miss,  1908 Soprano 

Pierson,  Henry,  1912 Bass-baritone 

Pinkston.  Virginia.  1908,  '09 Soprano 

Pinney,  Grace,  1898,  '99 Soprano 

^  George,  1879,  '80,  '81 Tenor 

271 


Pittman,  Mrs.  Ethel,  1906,  '07,  '08,  '11,  '12.  .Soprano.  Also  accompanist 

Pitts,  Mrs.,   1894,   '95 Contralto 

Pollard,  Daisy,  1892,  '93 Soprano 

Pollard,  Etta,  1892,  '93,  '94 Contralto.    (Deceased) 

Porter,  Ruby,  1899 Soprano 

Potts,  Mr.,  1903 Bass 

Powell,  Miss,  1891 Soprano 

Powell,  Mrs.,  1887,  '89 Soprano 

Pratt,  Miss,  1905,  '08,  '12 Contralto 

Pratt,  Mrs.  1911,  '12 Mezso-soprano 

Fresher,  Ethel,  1906,  '07 Soprano 

Price,  Nettie,  1892,  '93,  '94 Soprano 

Price,  Pauline,  1888 Soprano 

Prince,  Mrs.,  1890,  '91 Soprano 

Pritchard,  Mrs.  Jessie,  1897,  '98 Soprano 

Proctor,  Arthur,   1910 Bass 

Quinn,  Miss,  1898 Soprano 

Ralston,  Bessie,  1900 Soprano 

Ramsey,  Emma,  1908,  '09 Soprano 

Ramsey,  Inga,  1908,  '09 Mezso-soprano 

Ramsey,  Peter,  1908,  '09 Tenor 

Randall,  Mrs.,  1880 Soprano 

Rashman,    Miss,    1906 Soprano 

Raybum,  Cora,  1900,  '01 Mezso-soprano 

Reed,  Grace,  1898 Soprano 

Reeves,  Mr.  R.  E.,  1895 Baritone 

Reyes,  Mrs.,  1898,  '99,  1900,  '02 Mezzo-soprano 

Reynolds,  Miss,  1891 Soprano 

Rh'inehart,  Mrs.,  1879,  '85 Contralto 

Rhodes,  Kitty,  1898 Soprano 

Rice,  Amy,  1898,  '99,  1901 Soprano 

Richardson,  Mrs.,  1908 Soprano 

Richardson,  Martha,  1884 Soprano 

Riley,  Mrs.,  Edna,  1907,  '08,  '10,  '11 Contralto 

Robinson,  Mr.,  1904,  '05 Baritone 

Roden,  Mary  Kroh,  1911.  '12 Contralto 

Rodgers,  Leo,  1890,  '91,  '98,  '99,  1900 Tenor-baritone 

Romaine,   William,   1884 Bass 

Rosenkranze,  Maggie,  1884 Soprano 

Root,  Kate,  1886,  '87 Soprano 

Root,  Geo.  B.,  1880,  '81,  '82,  '83.  '84,  '85,  '86 Tenor 

Root,  Mrs.  Geo.  B.,  1883,  '84,  '85,  '86,  '87 Soprano 

Runcie,  Master,  1901 Boy  soprano 

Russell,  Mrs.,  1896,  '97,  '98 Soprano 

Rutherford,   Marcia,    1901 Soprano 

Sadler,  Miss,  1890 Soprano 

Sanderson,   Georgia,    1891 Soprano 

Sands,  Anna,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Sanford,  Alice  M.,  1908,  '09,  '10,  '11,  '12. .  .Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Sanford,  Elinor,  1892,  '93 Mezzo-soprano  dramatico 

Sanford,  Hoyle  E.,  1908,  '09,  '10,  '11,  '12 Baritone 

Saulsbury,  Mrs.,  1880,  '82,  '84 Mezso-soprano 

Saunders,  Daisy,  1900 Soprano 

Schmidt,  Alice,   1907 Soprano 

Schmidt,  Alma,  1895,  '96 Soprano 

Schultz,  Sayde,  1911,  '12 Contralto 

Sellac,  Mattie,  1884 Contralto 

Sears,  Mary,  1908 Soprano 

272 


Marcelme  Bisquer 
Mrs.  Walter  E.  Teague 
Hazel  Bonske 


Marie  BuIIington 


Sarah  Shultz 
Yvonne  Greer 
Margaret  Mulgrew 


PUPILS,   1911-1912 


Shair,  Grace,  1882,  '84 Soprano 

Shaw,  Lauretta,  1894,  '95,  '96,  '97 Mezzo-soprano 

Shaw,  Mabel,  1894,  '95,  '98,  '99,  1900 Soprano 

Shepherd,  Miss,   1885 Soprano 

Shoonemaker,  Miss,   1901 Soprano 

Shulken,  Albert  E.,  1908,  '09 Baritone 

Simmons,  Mrs.,   1885 Mezzo-soprano 

Simmons,  Mr.,  1884 Tenor 

Simmons,  Mrs.  M.,  1907 Soprano 

Sinnard,  Mrs.  1897 Contralto 

Skelly,  Miss,    1885 Soprano 

Skinner,  George,  1888 Tenor 

Slatterly,  Mrs.  W.,  1895 Soprano 

Slaughter,  Mrs.,  1906 Soprano 

Small,  Bernice,   1912 Soprano 

Smith,  Ada,  1888 Soprano 

Smith,  Etta,  1879,  1882 Mezzo-soprano 

Smith,  Miss  Fay,  1907 Soprano 

Smith,  Frank,   1898,  '99 Tenor 

Smith,  Horace,  1884 Baritone 

Smith,  Miss,  1894 Soprano 

Smith,  Mrs.  H.,  1885 Soprano 

Smith,  Luella,  1888 Soprano 

Smith,  Anna,  1884 Soprano 

Smith,  Mrs.  S.  S.,  1912 Soprano 

Smith,  W.  C,  1899 Tenor 

Snow,  J.  L.,  1898,  '99 Tenor 

Solomon,  Minnie,  1889,  '91 Soprano 

Soule,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Sprecher,  Ella,   1884 Soprano 

Sroufe,  Dolly,  1879,  '80,  '82,  '84,  '87 Soprano 

Sroufe,  Georgia,  1879,  '80,  '82,  '84,  '85 Soprano 

Sroufe,  Susie,  1879,  '80,  '82,  '84,  '85 Soprano 

Starkey,  Arma  B.,  1912 Soprano 

Steele,  Mrs.,  1895 Soprano 

Stevens,  Annie,   1883 Mezzo-soprano 

Stevens,  Carrie,  1880 Soprano 

Stevens,  Louisa,  1887 Contralto 

Stevenson,  Bert,  1908 Tenor 

Stewart,  Mae,  1886,  '87 Soprano 

Stewart,  Susie,   1889 Contralto 

Steifvater,  Ida,  Mrs.,  1906,  '07 Soprano 

Stickler,  Mr.,  1890 Tenor 

Stoddard,  Grace,  1903 Soprano 

Stoffles,  Mrs.,  1908,  '09 Mezzo-soprano 

Stolp,  E.  J.,  1898 Baritone-tenor 

Stolp,  Miss,  1899 Soprano 

Stoner,  Viola,  1905,  '06,  '07 Contralto 

Story,  Mrs.,  1888 Mezzo-soprano 

Storer,  Miss  Kate,  1903,  '04,  '05 Soprano 

Storer,  Emma,  1903,  '04 Mezzo-sot>rano 

Stubbs,  Miss,  1905 Soprano 

Swain,  Mrs.,  1894 Mezzo-soprano 

Swale,  Lillian,  1902 Soprano 

Swan,  Eva,  1890 Soprano 

Swan,  Miss  P.,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Taylor,  Miss,  1894,  '95,  '96.  '97,  '98,  '99 Soprano 

Taylor,  Chas.,  1898,  '99 Baritone 

273 


Teague,  Mrs.  W.,  1912 Soprano,  dramatic 

Terpening,  Ruth,   1909 Contralto 

Thomas,  Anna,  1897 Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Thomas,  Edward,  1897,  '98 Bass 

Thompson,  Mrs.,  1894 Soprano 

Thorn,  William,  1900,  '01 Baritone 

Tooker,  Elsie,  1888 Soprano 

Tooker,  Mrs.  S.,  1888 Mezzo-soprano 

Town,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Treaby,   Mr.,    1897 Tenor 

Treadwell,  Florence.  1896,  '97,  '98 Soprano 

Tregar,  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano.     (Phenomenal,  3  octaves} 

Trumbell,   Miss,   1895 Soprano 

Turner,  Mr.,  1898 Baritone-tenor 

Turner,  Rachael,  1902 Soprano 

Turner,  Esther,  1902,  '03 Soprano 

Tyler,  Mrs.,  1901 Soprano 

Upham,  Mrs.  Isaac,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano.    (Deceased) 

Valentine,  Inza,  1905,  '06,  '07,  '08 Contralto 

Valentine,  Stella,  1898,  '05,  '06,  '07,  '08 Soprano 

Van  Pelt,  Mrs.  Georgia,  1884 Soprano 

VanWinkle.  Alice,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano 

Van  Winkle,  Henry,  1879,  '80 Tenor 

VanWinkle,  Nellie,  1879,  '80 Mezzo-soprano 

VanWinkle,  Aida,  1879,  '80,  '81 Soprano,  also  accompanist 

Victory,  Arthur,  1901,  '02,  '03,  '09 Baritone-tenor 

VonGlehn,  E.,  1906 Soprano 

Walcott,  Minnie  Walcott,  1884 Soprano 

Walcott,  Louisa,  1895,  '96,  '98 Soprano 

Wall.   Annie,   1888 Contralto 

Walls,  Miss,  1901 Soprano 

Walther,  Marie,  Miss,  1896,  '97 Soprano 

Waite.  Mrs.,  1888 Soprano 

Ward,  Fanny,  1890,  '91 Contralto 

Waterous,  Miss,  1900 Dramatic  Contralto 

Wansner,  Miss   Ida,   1904,  '05 Soprano 

Wedgewood,  Mrs.,  1898 Soprano 

Welsh.  Grace,  1882 Soprano 

Wells,  Mrs.   E.,   1888 Contralto 

Westeran,  Mrs.,   1908 Dramatic  mezzo-soprano 

Westphal,  Mrs.,  1891,  '92,  '93 Soprano 

White,  Mabel,  1890,  '91,  '92 Lyric  soprano 

Whitney.  Mae,  1886.  '87,  '89 Contralto,  also  accompanist 

Whittlesy,  Mrs.,  1884 Soprano 

White,  Lester,  1896 Tenor 

Whyte,  Malcolm,  1897 Tenor 

Wight,  Edna.  Mrs.,  1912 Soprano 

Wick,  Miss,  1898,  '99 Soprano 

Wild,  Ella.  1894 Soprano 

Wilhelm.  Otto,  1901,  '03,  '04 Baritone-tenor 

Wilkins,  Mae,  1894 Soprano 

Wilkinson.  Miss,  1894 Soprano 

Willcox,  Mr.,  1907 Tenor-baritone 

Williams,   Gertie,   1892 Soprano 

Williams,  Miss   Etta,    1894 Soprano 

Williams,  Miss,  1889 Soprano 

Williams,  Sadie,  1896,  '97 Contralto 

Willings,  Mr.,  1896 Bass 

274 


Willis,  Master,  1888 Boy  soprano 

Willis,  Miss,  1888 Soprano 

Wilmott,  Susie,  1884 Soprano 

Wilson,  A.  E.,  1892,  '93,  '94 Soprano 

Wilson,  Maud  Booth,  1910 Contralto 

Wilson,  Gladys,  1908,  '09,  '10 Soprano 

Wilson,  Alice,  1889,  '90,  '91 Soprano 

Wilson,  Miss  A.,  1901,  '02,  '03 Soprano 

Wilson,  Ernest,   1907 Tenor-baritone 

Winsor,  Mrs.,  18%,  '97,  '98,  '99,  1900 Soprano 

Wiscarver,  Norma,  1911,  '12 Contralto 

Witthall,  Delia,  1894,  '95,  '96,  '97,  1908 Contralto 

Wood,  Dr.  J.  W.,  1897,  '98 Tenor 

Woodel,  Miss,  1895 Soprano 

Woodly,  Carrie,  1895 Soprano 

Woodside,  Mrs.,  1892 Soprano 

Woodworth,  E.  Leslie,  1906,  '07,  '09,  '10 Tenor 

Wooly,  Bessie,  1898,  '99 Soprano 

Worden,  Hattie,  1880,  '81,,  '85,  '86 Alto 

Worden,  Nettie,  1879,  '80,  '81.  '85,  '86/89 Soprano 

Wright,  Mr.,  1907 Bass 

Yarndley,  Mattie,  1894 Alto 

Yarnold,  Hattie,  1892 Soprano 

Young,  Ruth,  1908,  '09 Soprano 

Zander,  Mattie,  1896,  '98,  1900,  '01 Soprano 

Zimmerman,  Daisy,  1880,  '98,  '99,  1900 Soprano 

Zedeskie,  Miss,  1888 Mezzo-soprano,  also  accompanist 

This  list  of  men,  women  and  young  people  are  the  names 
of  pupils  who  have  been  under  my  instruction  in  San  Ber- 
nardino, San  Francisco  and  Oakland  for  the  three  decades, 
1882  to  1912. 

It  does  not  include  singers  who  have  simply  received 
coaching  in  choirs  I  have  directed,  but  only  those  who  have 
had  individual  lessons  in  voice  placement  and  the  art  of 
song. 

I  am  very  proud  to  know  that,  while  all  have  not  dis- 
tinguished themselves,  there  are  in  this  list  names  of 
teachers  of  good  repute,  also  prima  donnas  and  men  singers 
of  established  renown  in  this  country  and  in  Europe. 

It  is  especially  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  note  that, 
while  numbers  of  my  pupils  have  studied  with  the  great 
masters  in  the  East  and  abroad  after  leaving  my  studio, 
they  have  come  back  to  testify  to  the  correctness  of  my 
prior  instruction  in  the  principles  of  legitimate  song. 

MARGARET  BLAKE-ALVERSON 

Oakland,  California 

February,  1913 


275 


I\AL 
3-00,1 

C2.  AS 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


A     000  633  978     2 


